The Chicago Bears haven’t been the most active team this offseason. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. It’s a sign that for the first time they don’t have to go crazy with their resources to try building up a depleted roster. For the first time in almost a decade, they have star power. A core of players who can lead them to heights they haven’t experienced in a long time.
The question is what will they do in the upcoming NFL draft. GM Ryan Pace spent most of free agency shoring up key positions with cost-effective players. He made some nice additions including former Pro Bowl safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. This feels like a team that is ready to take things a step further from where they were at the end of last year.
However, they must make sure not to take this draft for granted. It’s just as important as those that came before in elevating them to where they want to go. If Pace doesn’t take that reality seriously, everything he’s built to this point will be thrown away.
.@FAU_Football's Devin Singletary (@motorsingletary) to work out for #Bears on Wednesday.
"I definitely feel like I've gotten to know that staff better than the others."https://t.co/jnqUuAbHA9 (via @ChaseGoodbread) pic.twitter.com/glbKWEJf0q
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) April 8, 2019
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Chicago Bears being “set” across roster must not stop pursuit of competition
On paper, the Bears look like a team that is ready to compete for the playoffs for some time to come. They have talent across the roster on offense and defense, most of it being on the younger side. It would be easy for GM Ryan Pace to look at this 2019 draft and consider focusing less on seeking out difference-makers and more on shoring up depth. Except history proves this to be a dangerous line of thinking.
From 1988 to 1994, the Dallas Cowboys had an incredible run of success in the draft. Over that period they secured no fewer than 16 future Pro Bowlers and four Hall of Famers. However, in 1995 it became apparent their priorities had shifted. Feeling they had a great cast of starters in place, they began to approach the draft with less of an idea to improve overall and more about finding depth and special teams help.
This resulted in them giving away their 1st round picks both that year and the next one in 1996. The result was two of the worst drafts the Cowboys had in almost a decade. A sequence that ended up causing the downfall of their dynasty just a few years later. Pace has to make sure he doesn’t fall into this same trap.
Not having 1st or 2nd round picks makes it difficult, but he cannot stop his pursuit of getting better just because of that. His job is to keep pushing until this team is the best in the NFL. Settling for depth and special teams isn’t the way to do that.
