Chicago Bears Mailbag: The future of Jordan Howard and much more

@Josh_Kahn8
With how good Pace is in the later rounds of the draft, what positions do you think Pace will target in next years draft? Will he try to find a Bobby Massie replacement?

The strength of the 2019 draft class appears to be decidedly in favor of the defense. This is particularly true at the tackle and end positions. So if the Bears are interested in loading up on another defensive lineman or a pass rusher, this is the draft to do it. They could also get more help at cornerback too. The offensive line could be tricky. There will be some decent options available in the middle rounds but it’s not what one would call a deep group. As for Massie, I’ll be honest. He’s played pretty well lately. If that continues, they may bring him back for another year.

@RossHart17
Do you think the absence of Kyle Long will have a long-term effect on our run game? It seems it did against Detroit.

The truth is having Long on the field didn’t really make a huge difference to their struggles running the football. Granted, him being out sure doesn’t help it. The fact is the Bears are in the midst of an identity crisis. Nagy is so preoccupied with getting the passing attack off the ground that he hasn’t made the time to figure out what his running backs do best from a rushing perspective. Hopefully that will change but there’s no telling if that can happen this year.