People keep saying that the best thing for the Chicago Bears is to have a pure “football guy” running the show for them. If that is what they seek for their GM position if Ryan Pace is fired? Then Lionel Vital is a name they have to look at. Don’t feel bad if you’re confused. This isn’t somebody that will make a lot of those top GM candidate lists for 2022, and that’s a shame. When looking at his track record? Vital is connected to lots of success.
The man has lived and breathed football on a professional level since all the way back in 1985 when he was a 7th round pick for the Washington Redskins. He bounced between the NFL and CFL for the next few years, even winning a Grey Cup in 1989. He retired after that and went straight into scouting in 1990. For the next decade, he worked from team to team until he became a national scout with the Patriots in 2000. There he had a hand in building their first dynasty from 2001 to 2004. He then left to join the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 where he stayed for two years. This man has worked for some first-class organizations.
It was with the Atlanta Falcons though where he got his first break.
Vital became their assistant director of player personnel in 2007. There he set about helping the organization recover from the post-Michael Vick debacle to become a contender. His strong work led to a promotion to director of player personnel in 2013. Over the next three years, he would help the team lay the foundation for their Super Bowl run in 2016 with some key draft picks.
- Desmond Trufant
- Jake Matthews
- Devonta Freeman
- Grady Jarrett
A year before that run though, Lionel Vital departed to join the Dallas Cowboys as their new director of college scouting. A position he holds to this day. While Will McClay is the big name everybody talks about for GM openings out of Dallas, Vital has certainly done his part in building what looks like a Super Bowl contender this year.
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- Ezekiel Elliott
- Dak Prescott
- Leighton Vander Esch
- Michael Gallup
- CeeDee Lamb
- Trevon Diggs
- Micah Parsons
Lionel Vital has paid his dues and is ready for his shot
The man has served in a high-profile position for three different organizations. All of them saw success while he was there. He has a wealth of experience at the most important thing from the Bears’ perspective. Building around a quarterback. He did it in New England for Tom Brady, Atlanta for Matt Ryan, and now Dallas for Dak Prescott. He’s also been honored by his peers with awards for his work.
If there is one argument working against Vital at this stage it is his age. He is 58-years old. Not exactly the young gun anymore. Then again, teams have hired older GMs in the past and found plenty of success. If the Bears are looking for somebody well-prepared for the opportunity and have experience in all the areas they need?
Then Lionel Vital is the man to consider.
He might not be the popular name in media circles, but it isn’t about hiring the name everybody talks about. It has to be about hiring the right guy. Vital has done this for a long, long time. He’ll know what must be done to get the Bears back on track towards relevance.
