Chicago Bears: Did Ryan Pace Play Cards Just Right at EDGE?
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears did almost everything right. They needed to execute a near-flawless off-season in order to position for a possible playoff run in 2018.
Somehow they’ve pulled it off. Get Mitch Trubisky some new weapons at wide receiver? Yep. Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, Bennie Fowler, Marlon Brown and Javon Wims all arrive to completely overhaul the unit. Find a replacement for Josh Sitton at guard? Indeed. Second round pick James Daniel, widely considered a huge steal, should plug that hole seamlessly. Find another playmaker for the defense? Say hello to Roquan Smith, widely viewed as the best linebacker in college football.
They also managed to lock up Akiem Hicks, Kyle Fuller, and Prince Amukamara to long-term deals. It couldn’t have gone much better. Except it could’ve. They say it’s impossible to meet every need in one off-season and that’s true. Especially for a rebuilding team like the Bears. Still, it’s hard to accept that they weren’t able to secure more help at edge rusher outside of cheap free agent Aaron Lynch and 6th round pick Kylie Fitts.
They could’ve done a little better there, right? Well sure. The problem is sacrifices are made in the name of the greater good. GM Ryan Pace is no doubt aware of the issue, but he had plenty of issues to sort out and only so many resources to deal with them. Then there’s another factor that often gets forgotten.
Building a team isn’t just about the present. It’s about the future. In this case, the near future.
The 2019 crop of edge rushers is going to be loaded for the Bears
One reason that hasn’t been explored enough to this point is the fact that the solution to their problem may merely be a year off. Most agree the 2018 class of pass rushers, both in free agency and the draft, was weak. Not just in terms of star power but also depth. It marked the first time less than two rushers went in the top 10 of a draft since 2012. Only Bradley Chubb of N.C. State made the cut. Only two went in the entire 1st round. That pretty much sends a clear message.
Such will likely not be the case in 2019. Both the free agent and draft crops are looking strong. Really strong. The list of potential names is hard to ignore:
Free agents
- Khalil Mack
- Ezekiel Ansah
- Demarcus Lawrence
- Danielle Hunter
- Clay Matthews
- Jadeveon Clowney
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Dee Ford
- Markus Golden
- Shane Ray
- Trey Flowers
The Draft
- Nick Bosa
- Clelin Ferrell
- Austin Bryant
- Josh Allen
- Montez Sweat
- Joe Jackson
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Now obviously all of those names won’t be available to the Bears. Most of the big free agents will be locked up by either long-term deals or franchise tags. Not all of the big draft names will be there when they pick either. What this means is they will at least have a greater opportunity to land one good talent for their edge rusher position next year, if not two. Far better odds than they had at any point this off-season.
Is it possible Pace knew this and geared his entire plan around that realization? It wouldn’t be the first time a GM of a team has done such things. Bill Walsh was famous for it in the 1980s.