Ryan Pace. There’s so much one should say about the job he’s done. He took over a depleted and aging roster in 2015 and was saddled with two choices. Either try to retool around the pieces that were there and hopefully squeeze out a run or wipe it all clean and start from scratch. It would’ve been so easy to choose the former route because the latter is exceedingly difficult.
Why? Rebuilds take time, and in the modern NFL time is a scarce resource. If a GM isn’t winning by his third or even second season he can be replaced by an impatient ownership. Pace, to his credit, decided to built his own foundation and blew the roster up. He wanted to build from the draft and was willing to endure the early struggles to get where he wanted to go.
However, in order to make this team good as soon as possible, he’d have to be aggressive. That meant a willingness to make bold trades, be they in the draft or during the year. To date, Pace has made 15 trades since he took over. I went back to look at all of them. People might be shocked today learning just how many of them have a far-reaching impact on the 8-3 team they see now.
Ryan Pace trade moves
2015
Traded Brandon Marshall and 2015 7th round pick to Jets for 2015 5th round pick
Some people were upset when Pace sent the veteran receiver packing. He’d been their best pass target since 2012 and losing him was bound to make things harder on offense. However, the team felt he wasn’t good for the culture they were trying to build. All things considered? Pace did the right thing. Marshall had one more great year that season and then fell off a cliff afterward. That 5th round pick they got back turned into Adrian Amos, a reliable starter on defense.
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Traded Jon Bostic to Patriots for 2016 6th round pick
In hindsight, this may have been somewhat rash. Jon Bostic has since ended up in Pittsburgh where he’s become a much better player with 62 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, at the time he simply wasn’t improving. New England was willing to take a chance on him and gave up a 6th rounder for him. He was gone after one year.
Traded Jared Allen to Panthers for 2016 6th round pick
The Bears were going young by this point and Allen was too old to endure a rebuild. He wanted a chance to join a team that could win a Super Bowl. Give Pace credit. He obliged. Allen was sent to Carolina where he ended up playing in the big game later that season. He retired shortly afterward, so getting anything back was a solid move.
2016
Traded Martellus Bennett and 2016 6th round pick to Patriots for 2016 4th round pick
Like Marshall the year before, Bennett had become too much of a locker room liability. He was also getting older. Having done business with New England before, Pace sent the disgruntled tight end east in exchange for an extra 4th rounder in the upcoming draft. Bennett helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl. The Bears turned that pick into cornerback Deiondre Hall who was primarily a backup and special teams guy.
Traded 2016 1st round pick and 2016 4th round pick to Buccaneers for 2016 1st round pick
Pace knew in 2016 that he needed to get a pass rusher for his defense. The problem was there weren’t a lot to go around in that class. He had to make sure he got one he liked. So he jumped up from #11 overall to #9 in a deal with Tampa Bay to grab Leonard Floyd out of Georgia. It was a bold move. Many worried that Floyd, while athletic and fast, didn’t have the strength or body type to survive at that position. Time has proven them wise. Floyd has missed time for multiple injuries and has just 12.5 sacks in 33 games.
Traded 2016 2nd round pick to Bills for 2016 2nd round pick, 2016 4th round pick and 2017 4th round pick
Word came out that Pace had initially wanted to trade up from his original spot in the 2nd round to grab tight end Hunter Henry. Unfortunately, the San Diego Chargers got there first. Not seeing anybody worthwhile on the board, the Bears made a deal with Buffalo to move down, securing two 4th round picks in the process including an all-important one for 2017. More on that later.
Traded 2016 2nd round pick to Seahawks for 2016 2nd round pick and 2016 4th round pick
What’s fascinating about this trade is that once again Pace reportedly had his eye on a player. This time it was Indiana tackle Jason Spriggs. Then at the last second, the Green Bay Packers traded up right in front of the Bears’ spot to take him. Rather than settle for whomever else was available, Pace cut his losses again and moved back for a second time, getting another extra 4th rounder from Seattle. At last, he made a pick in the 2nd round, turning it into starting center Cody Whitehair. The extra 4th became safety Deon Bush.
Traded 2016 4th round pick and 2016 6th round pick to Rams for 2016 4th round pick
One of the more surprising moves Pace has ever made in a draft took place here. He jumped four spots in the 4th round to acquire West Virginia inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. All things considered, it didn’t cost them too much. The pick they gave up hasn’t amounted to anything. Kwiatkoski has become a dependable backup at his position and is also a key member of their special teams.
2017
Traded 2017 1st round pick, 2017 3rd round pick, 2017 4th round pick, and 2018 3rd round pick to 49ers for 2017 1st round pick
This is the big one. The most controversial trade Pace has made to date. He gave up three quality mid-round picks to move up from #3 to #2 in order to secure Mitch Trubisky as the future quarterback of the Bears. He took a ton of heat for it because of two reasons: Trubisky’s inexperience and the general belief he was bidding against himself.
Nobody knows for sure if that’s true. Still, after a difficult rookie year Trubisky has started coming into his own this season Through 10 games he’s accounted for 2,832 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions. That’s pretty good for a guy who’s learning a brand new offense and trying to gain chemistry with all new receivers.
Traded 2017 2nd round pick to Cardinals for 2017 2nd round pick, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 6th round pick, and 2018 4th round pick
For the second-straight year Pace decided to trade back in the 2nd round and for the second-straight year, he seemed to score with that decision. While his official pick in that round, Adam Shaheen has gone through a difficult injury patch of late, the Bears made up for it by using that 4th round pick in 2017 to secure a little running back named Tarik Cohen. He’s fast becoming one of the most feared weapons in the NFL.
Traded 2017 4th round pick and 2017 6th round pick to Rams for 2017 4th round pick
Pace is quickly looking like a genius for this move. It was subtle at the time, but as the weeks pass it’s becoming more and more enormous. The Bears jumped in front of the Chargers in the 4th round, knowing they were looking for safety help and grabbed Alabama standout Eddie Jackson with the 112th pick. Many were down on him because his broke his leg the previous year and was “too thin.” Now he has five defensive touchdowns. So. Yeah.
Traded a conditional 2018 pick to Chargers for Dontrelle Inman
This move was played well. Chicago needed wide receiver help for Trubisky. Pace knew the Chargers were looking to get rid of Dontrelle Inman and so offered a 7th round pick. The key was that pick came with a condition. If he failed to catch 25 passes the rest of the year, the Bears would hold on to the pick. He ended up with 23. So the team got 334 yards and a TD out of him but kept the pick and turned it into Javon Wims, a promising young receiver who dominated in the preseason.
2018
Traded 2018 4th round pick and a 2019 2nd round pick to Patriots for 2018 2nd round pick
A lot of fans were caught off guard with this one. The Bears had already made their 2nd round choice, taking James Daniels out of Iowa. They didn’t pick again until the 4th round. That didn’t suit Pace. So he gave up their 2nd rounder in 2019 in a deal with the Patriots to go get Memphis star receiver Anthony Miller. So far this season the flashes of brilliance have been there. He’s got 398 yards and five touchdowns and most would agree he should have more if Trubisky had managed to hit him a few more times when he was wide open.
Traded a conditional 2019 pick (7th round pick) to Eagles for Deiondre’ Hall
Hall by this point had worn out his welcome. He’d failed to ascend as a defender and his special teams value was mixed. Other defensive backs were starting to emerge on the roster. So it was likely the Bears were going to cut him. For Pace to get even a 7th round pick back for him should be considered a minor win, especially when they already have so few choices as it is for 2019.
Traded for Khalil Mack, a 2020 2nd round pick and a conditional 2020 pick (5th round pick) from Raiders for a 2019 1st round pick, a 2020 1st round pick, a 2020 3rd round pick and a 2019 6th round pick
While the Trubisky trade may have been considered a major reach, this may be the one that ended up being the true spark the Bears had been looking for. Pace seemed to have a strong 2018 offseason with opening day around the corner, but it still felt something was missing. That proverbial cherry on the sundae.
He needed a bold move, and he got lucky. The Oakland Raiders were in the midst of a contract dispute with star pass rusher Khalil Mack. The new man in charge, head coach Jon Gruden, had no desire to endure prolonged negotiating. So he instructed the front office to find the best trade deal possible and ship him out of town.
Pace didn’t flinch, sending two 1st round picks to Oakland for the 27-year old All-Pro pass rusher. A couple months later and the Mack Effect has been incredible. He has eight sacks already with five forced fumbles and has made everybody else on that defense better with his sheer presence. To think the Bears not only have him locked up for the next six years but also got a 2nd round pick back with him from the Raiders.
That’s basically cheating.
