How Ryan Pace Has Overhauled and Improved Bears Roster in His First Offseason
Published by Zach Kruse on April 2, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Left with only Phil Emery’s dirty mop bucket of a roster, new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has not hesitated in embracing the gargantuan task of cleaning up the mess at Halas Hall.
Few would have been surprised if Pace—a first-time general manager after spending many years working up the ranks in New Orleans—had maneuvered through his early days on the job cautiously, making few major changes and even fewer waves during free agency.
But Pace had a different blueprint.
In just a few month’s time, the 37-year-old has embarked on a roster vendetta Chip Kelly could appreciate, using all resources at his disposal to create a new team in his own vision. The Bears of early April now look nothing like the team that limped to the finish line of a disappointing 5-11 season in January, which is a very good thing.
Without much doubt, Pace’s early overhaul has improved the talent on the Bears roster—and the draft is still a month away.
His approach to free agency has danced perfectly in step with where Chicago stands as a football team. Knowing his roster wasn’t one or two players away from seriously contending, Pace did the logical thing. He first targeted one big name with some risk but huge potential upside, giving his transitioning defense a building-block edge player. He has since engaged in a garage-sale approach, signing a number of potential starters to low-risk deals in hopes of building the talent base and opening up his draft possibilities for the end of this month.
Overall, Pace has made 11 free-agent additions.
Trophies aren’t given out in March or April, but it’s hard to argue with what the Bears have done.
Pace first attacked three of his team’s biggest weaknesses, signing edge-rusher Pernell McPhee, safety Antrel Rolle and slot receiver Eddie Royal.
McPhee cost $40 million and is far from a sure thing, but he’s the kind of ascending, versatile player the Bears needed for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s 3-4 defense. If his career rise continues, McPhee will give Chicago the pass-rushing force off the edge that every successful three-man front possesses.
Rolle essentially signed a one-year deal with two club-option years to follow. He’s 32 years old and slowing down, but he’s also just two years removed from a Pro Bowl selection and an immediate upgrade over anyone the Bears threw out at safety last season.
Royal might be the most underrated of the group. Since 2013, he has over 100 catches and 15 touchdowns. Production is production, and the Bears needed help after losing Brandon Marshall. Plus, Royal has prior playing experience with quarterback Jay Cutler.
The Bears should now feel more comfortable at edge-rusher, safety and receiver. The team is no longer locked into taking one position or the other with the No. 7 overall pick. Early free agency was used to afford the Bears options.
The three names listed above are currently the only players Pace has signed to multiyear deals. Over the last few weeks, he’s enjoyed scavenging the buyer’s market that is the later rounds of free agency.
The list of one-year signings is extensive: guard Vladimir Ducasse, defensive linemen Ray McDonald and Jarvis Jenkins, linebackers Mason Foster and Sam Acho, cornerback Alan Ball and running back Jacquizz Rodgers.
It’s certainly possible Pace has found as many as four starters from that group.
Ducasse is a former second-round pick who is likely best used as depth. Rodgers has change-of-pace abilities out of the backfield, and Acho figures to be a solid rotational pass-rusher and edge-setter at outside linebacker. All three can be considered upgrades at their respective positions.
The rest of the group will have their eyes on starting jobs.
McDonald arrives with the kind of luggage that would probably scare off any other first-time general manager, but he’s also well-versed in Fangio’s defense and is a difference-maker when on the field. If everything goes smoothly from here on out, McDonald is likely to be starting at one of the 5-technique positions come Week 1.
Foster is coming off a down season in which he played only 10 games. But he’s also only 26 years old, and during his first three seasons in Tampa Bay, he averaged almost 94 tackles per year. Foster will provide playmaking talent for an inside linebacker group that didn’t have much of it before he signed.
Jenkins never broke out in Washington. But like Foster, he’s only 26. And at 6’4″ and 315 pounds, he should fit nicely as a space-eating, block-demanding defensive end in Fangio’s three-man front.
Ball is far from a star cornerback, but he did start 22 games over the last two seasons in Jacksonville. At the very least, he’ll provide veteran depth behind Kyle Fuller and Tim Jennings. He could push to play a significant number of snaps in Chicago’s nickel defense.
It’s certainly possible only one or two of the signings will work out. But that’s the beauty of a one-year contract for the Bears: Not only does it incentivize the player, but it also allows the club an easy out if the union doesn’t work out.
Pace doesn’t appear to be done. On Thursday, the Bears released long-time center Robert Garza, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. To fill his roster spot, Chicago signed center Will Montgomery, according to Rich Campbell of the Tribune.
Garza started 145 games for the Bears over 10 seasons. Montgomery, 32, arrives with starting experience under coaches John Fox and Adam Gase.
And so the overhauling and improving continues with Pace at the helm.
The Bears are still in an early phase of rebuilding and will likely remain there until the future of the quarterback position is squared away. Pace could do nothing with Cutler and his contract this offseason, but his options open up some next spring, when it’s possible Cutler could be dumped and a rookie quarterback could be drafted.
Yet with money to spend and holes to fill, Pace did not wait around during his first few months on the job. He moved aggressively on an impact player and did admirably to fill in problem areas with low-budget signings. Now, the Bears are more talented across the board—and Pace has more flexibility in terms of his first draft.
The Bears have begun the rebuilding process without taking a step back. In fact, the roster has almost certainly improved. Credit Pace and his vision for creating a situation in which the Bears are building for the future and improving in the present.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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