When talking about the past two months that Ryan Pace put together for the Chicago Bears, most of the attention is focused on the quarterback position. That is hardly a surprise given the problems this franchise has had with it going back decades. All things considered? Pace did a marvelous job improving it. The Bears have gone from Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, and Tyler Bray as their primary three to Andy Dalton, Foles, and Justin Fields.
That is a considerable upgrade on paper. Both in terms of talent and proven experience. Dalton is the consummate veteran who runs the offense with poise and efficiency. Then there is Fields, a supremely gifted talent who has the potential to be a star given enough time. Oh, and having a former Super Bowl MVP as your third-string option isn’t too bad either. This wasn’t the extent of Pace’s work though. Brent Soblesky of Bleacher Report believes there is one part of his work that isn’t getting enough credit.
The massive investment in the offensive line.
“One of the smartest things Pace did following the selection of Fields was select back-to-back offensive linemen in Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom. Still, the front needed more help.
Mississippi State’s Dareuan Parker is a mountainous guard (6’5″, 331 lbs), who didn’t allow a single sack last season despite the most overall pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Clemson’s Gage Cervenka brings versatility at center and guard after helping to lead one of college football’s premier programs. And Gunnar Vogel developed into a two-year starter at Northwestern.”
It’s always a smart thing for a GM to invest in the offensive line. That group often determines how good or bad an offense will be. Pace making that part of the depth chart a focus shouldn’t be a huge surprise. Not after the unit was ravaged by injuries last season and had some ugly performances as a result. With new quarterbacks arriving, he had to make sure they had every opportunity to be successful. That means protection.
Perhaps the boldest decision in all of this was parting ways with Charles Leno Jr. The man had been their starting left tackle since 2015. While never what one might call good, he was passable most of that time. The fact he never missed a game was always a nice bonus. The Bears chose it was time to let him walk, ushering in the Teven Jenkins era. Made even more surprising by the fact the 2nd round rookie was almost exclusively a right tackle in college.
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Sometimes I get sad.
Then I remember that Teven Jenkins is now on the #Bears, and I’m no longer sad. pic.twitter.com/YOhX1LsFlW
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) May 8, 2021
OTs allowing a QB pressure on less than 1% of pass-blocking snaps:
🔺 Brady Christensen, BYU
🔺 Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
🔺 Larry Borom, Missouri
🔺 Max Mitchell, Louisiana pic.twitter.com/VakIVklkpa— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 14, 2020
Miss State G Dareuan Parker in 2020:
💥 617 pass-block snaps (most in CFB)
💥 0 sacks allowed pic.twitter.com/oCbJEwKATK— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 9, 2021
Ryan Pace gave his coaches plenty of options
While Jenkins and Borom get most of the attention due to their draft status, the Bears GM quietly did a nice job in undrafted free agency too. Parker out of Mississippi State proved himself an able pass protector at guard. Something this system under Matt Nagy places a high priority on. Cervenka out of Clemson is equally fascinating. An absolute powerhouse who can manhandle defenders if he gets leverage on them but needs to improve his lower body anchor.
Given the success Ryan Pace has already had with undrafted offensive linemen like Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars? It’s hard not to be intrigued by this group. Nagy and the coaching have a chance to piece together a truly deep and diverse depth chart for 2021. One that features plenty of versatility along with a renewed shift towards attitude and toughness. Don’t expect this front to play it passively like in previous years.
There is a clear emphasis on becoming the aggressors.
Pace was under a lot of scrutiny coming into this offseason that he never invested enough resources in the offensive line. Now it could see three or four brand new faces including a new starting left tackle. Credit to Pace for understanding the problem and working to fix it. One thing the GM has always been good about is attacking a roster deficiency in waves during an offseason. This figures to benefit the Bears in 2021 and beyond.
