Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace must be sitting with his legs up on a desk somewhat with his hands behind his head. There isn’t much he needs to say. After a long process of dragging this team out of years of poor roster management, they are division champions and going to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
The best part is? It’s almost entirely his team that did it. Many general managers in history have found their success early on by inheriting the work of the guy they replaced. As of today, only two players on the roster are currently starters for Chicago who were drafted by the previous regime. That’s cornerback Kyle Fuller and Charles Leno Jr.
The rest are all players Pace acquired himself. That’s impressive work. What makes it even more so is that fact that he did it with 27 draft picks. Why? The normal number for four offseasons should be 28. So he built a Super Bowl-caliber roster with one fewer pick than teams are usually alotted. When going over the work in its entirety? It just becomes more eye-popping by the day.
Ryan Pace work in the draft has been exemplary
2015
Kevin White – backup
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Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. White came in with oodles of raw physical talent. Sadly that gifted body wasn’t ready for the rigors of the NFL. He suffered multiple season-ending injuries that limited him to just five games in his first three years. He’s since been inactive most of the year under Nagy’s regime and is likely gone in 2019.
Eddie Goldman – starter
It’s a crying shame that Goldman isn’t at least a Pro Bowl alternate this year. He’s been outstanding. Nose tackles by their job don’t post many big stats but when it comes to stuffing the run and making the quarterback aware of his presence? Nobody has been better at what he does.
Hroniss Grasu – cut
Another player who saw his window of opportunity cut off by injury. It looked like Grasu was destined to become their starting center in 2016 but he tore his ACL instead. This left the door open for Cody Whitehair to take over and that was that. Grasu was cut this offseason.
Jeremy Langford – cut
Some wondered if he might be the heir apparent to Matt Forte after a strong rookie campaign that saw him post 816 total yards with seven touchdowns. It became clear though that he had limitations as a runner, most notably his average vision and bad tendency to go down after limited contact.
Adrian Amos – starter
There were some high hopes for Amos even though he was drafted in the 5th round. Over his first two years it was a lot of inconsistency, some good with streaks of bad. He was benched early in 2017 but came back and had his best year to date. He’s been an unquestioned fixture at safety ever since.
Tayo Fabuluje – cut
Charles Leno notwithstanding, it’s rare for a late-round offensive tackle to find success in the NFL. Fabuluje was a fascinating physical specimen who had athletic upside. However, he had off-the-field and weight concerns that proved too much for him to overcome.
2016
Leonard Floyd – Pro Bowl alternate
It hasn’t always been a fun time for Floyd the past few years. He’d have a strong run of success over a set of games and then would disappear. That process would repeat before a late-season injury knocked him out for the rest of the year. Thankfully he’s rebounded in a big way with the best stretch of his career including four sacks in the past six games.
Cody Whitehair – Pro Bowl alternate
What makes this such a quality pick is the fact that Pace traded back not once but twice in the 2nd round before grabbing Whitehair. He became a starter right away at a position he’d never played before and probably had a case for going to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Now he’s gone all of 2018 thus far without giving up a sack.
Jonathan Bullard – backup
There were high hopes for Bullard when he was drafted. Though a bit undersized, his explosiveness gave people visions of a potential big interior pass rusher. All things considered, it hasn’t worked out but he’s at least settled in as a serviceable backup who can relieve the starters of snaps.
Nick Kwiatkoski – backup
He’ll never be a starter in the league but Kwiatkoski has established himself as a capable reserve who can come in and plug a hole for a few weeks if needed. He’s also a dedicated special teams players. Not everybody gets the spotlight but guys like this are needed.
Deon Bush – backup
Basically the Kwiatkoski version at safety. Another 4th round pick who hasn’t ascended to starter status but has settled in as a backup who contributes on special teams. It will be interesting to see how he fills in down the stretch.
Deiondre Hall – traded
Hall ran into a problem from the jump. He was drafted as a cornerback but it became clear early on that he didn’t have the needed speed for it. The Bears tried moving him to safety but they were already set at that position. Soon he fell to the bottom of the depth chart and was quietly dealt to Philadelphia.
Jordan Howard – Pro Bowl
Maybe the best gem Pace has dug up to date. Howard almost never made it to the NFL because his original college program was actually shut down. He had to transfer to Indiana to even have a shot. The Bears picked him up in the 5th round and he went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, becoming the first player in team history to rush for 1,000 yards his first two seasons.
DeAndre Houston-Carson – backup
Another of those young safeties the Bears scooped up who never became a starter but found a place in the backup role who also provides needed value on special teams. That second part is where Houston-Carson has shined brightest to date.
Daniel Braverman – cut
He was a training camp favorite for so many fans. One of those underdog types who thrived at Western Michigan and looked like he’d be a great fit for a slot receiver role. In the end, he could never do enough to get on the field and didn’t last long.
2017
Mitch Trubisky – Pro Bowl alternate
Plenty of people have loved dumping on Trubisky since the day he was drafted. It wasn’t really fair since he had no control over how the Bears went about getting him. All he wanted to do was play well and win football games. Despite all their shouts about him being terrible, he’s thrown for 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 12 games, gone 9-3 this season and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate. What now?
Adam Shaheen – rotational guy
Sometimes a young player struggles to get his career off the ground due to extenuating circumstances, namely poor coaching or injury. Shaheen was subject to both. The Bears coaches didn’t figure out how to use him last year until late in the season, then he suffered an ankle injury this year that cost him half the games. Still, he’s proven himself a big target with quality receiving skills good for 2-3 meaningful catches per game.
Eddie Jackson – Pro Bowl
He arrived in the NFL nursing a broken leg, but Jackson wasn’t going to let that stop him. He became the starter from the moment he stepped on the field and has since become one of the most dangerous free safeties in football with his uncanny intelligence, instincts and ball skills. Just for 2018, he has six interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble, and three defensive touchdowns. The kid is a star.
Tarik Cohen – Pro Bowl
Most people had no idea who Cohen was when the Bears drafted him out of North Carolina A&T. All they heard were Darren Sproles comparisons. Nobody took them seriously though. Now over the past two years, the 5’6 running back has 296 touches on offense for 1,896 yards from scrimmage with 10 touchdowns. He’s also one of the league’s top punt returners averaging 11.4 yards per return.
Jordan Morgan – cut
Late round offensive lineman tends to be crapshoots in the draft. Like Fabuluje two years prior, Morgan was another promising talent who had the physical makeup of a potential starter but needed work on his overall game. It seems his standing in the locker room faded after the new coaching staff came in.
2018
Roquan Smith – Pro Bowl alternate
Miss training camp? Miss the preseason? Tweak your hamstring before the season? None of that bothered to slow down Smith. The #8 overall pick quickly seized the starting job after a couple of weeks and has only gotten better as the season goes along. He’s already become the second linebacker ever to top 100 tackles as a rookie, joining Brian Urlacher and is 17 away from claiming the record outright.
James Daniels – starter
Guards by the nature of their positions never get any love from the mainstream NFL but it cannot be understated how good Daniels has been. He hasn’t allowed a sack yet in 2018 and is coming off a stellar performance against Aaron Donald. He’s only 21-years old too. Far better days are ahead of him, which is a scary thought.
Anthony Miller – starter
His late-season disappearance is a bit unfortunate but that cannot discount the impact Miller has had during his rookie run which includes six touchdown catches. The kid has loads of potential as a wide receiver and will likely get better as the game continues to slow down for him and he gets into proper NFL shape.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe – backup
The drafting of Smith meant that Iyiegbuniwe wouldn’t be able to start on defense in his career. He’d have to be patient. Until then there would have to be other ways he got onto the field. To his credit, he’s done so with his standout play on special teams. Currently, he has tied for the team lead with five tackles in the third phase.
Bilal Nichols – rotational guy
For a rookie 5th round pick, the Bears are already getting a major contribution from Nicholes who has three sacks and 13 tackles for no gain or a loss. He’s shown constant flashes of not just a good rotational defensive lineman but a future starter.
Kylie Fitts – backup
A defensive end out of Utah, Fitts flashed some intriguing pass rush skill during the preseason. Enough to earn himself a roster spot. Since then he hasn’t played much so aside from being depth there really isn’t much to say about him.
Javon Wims – backup
Fans have been curious why the Bears haven’t given the rookie 7th rounder more playing time considering how much he lit up the preseason. Wims definitely has the talent to be a future contributor on the field. It’s likely he’s being held back until the team feels his route running is up to their level of comfort.
