Ryan Pace deserves credit for one thing. He’s not prone to making the same mistakes twice. His Ray McDonald experience back in 2015 has seen him avoid any players with questionable character. His inability to pull the trigger on trading up for Marcus Mariota and Carson Wentz drove him to do so for Mitch Trubisky. The John Fox results taught him that maybe experience isn’t all its cracked up to be for a head coach, leading him to hire Matt Nagy.
Pace is a young GM who is learning as he goes and the lessons seem to be getting through. His drafting significantly improved when comparing his earlier work to his latest. The biggest problem remaining on his record is how he’s managed free agency. Simply put it is by far his greatest weak point. Aside from a few notable hits like Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Josh Sitton it’s been a rough go for Pace on the veteran market.
His 2017 class was clearly a low point with Mike Glennon headlining a group that did next to nothing for the team. It’s this reason that has so many Bears fans worried. Despite having a wealth of salary cap space, people are skeptical that Pace will know how to use it this time. Except it may not be on him anymore.
Ryan Pace likely to delegate in 2018 free agency
A few weeks ago I reported that one of the biggest reasons Pace was able to lure Nagy to Chicago, along with retaining Vic Fangio, was a concession on personnel. Put simply the two coaches would have far greater latitude on the types of players pursued for their respective schemes. It seems he’s ready to follow through on that pledge as a source indicated to me. I asked who the Bears would be in on for this free agent market. The answer received was crystal clear.
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“Anyone and everyone. Pace is giving free reign letting Vic and Matt dictate who to sign. Reality is the Bears are in on everyone who’s available.”
This changes things. By this point, it’s usually easy to predict how Pace approaches free agency. He might go after one top tier free agent at a need position and then sit back to starting digging through the second and third tier groups looking for hidden gems. Pace is not a man who views free agency as a primary avenue to long-term success. The problem is he’s running out of time after three-straight losing seasons.
Giving Nagy and Fangio the green light could mean the Bears are significantly more aggressive this free agency period than in recent memory. Coaches, after all, aren’t overly concerned with the long-term. They’re trying to win now. So even at the cost of their healthy cap, they’ll go after every notable talent they can to upgrade this roster.
It will be up to Pace to make the deals happen. Bears fans should buckle up since this could mean unexpected names may be surfacing in the coming days.
