The Chicago Bears pulled off a draft-day trade that had the rest of the NFL world in awe of the move, and not the good kind. General manager Ryan Pace’s decision to move up one spot at the top of the draft in an expensive trade (details here) with the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Mitch Trubisky was one that ended up being ridiculed by many, including the 49ers via social media.
Making matters worse was a report that Pace kept head coach John Fox in the dark about his plans to make the move for Trubisky — a move that highlighted the dysfunction within an organization we predicted would be one off the teams to bungle the draft.
Pace then reached for a tight end (Adam Shaheen) in Round 2 that many analysts had as a mid- to late-round talent. A physically huge man, at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds, he is a project prospect out of Ashland who might never develop into a top pro player.
On top of this, Pace drafted just one defensive back in a defensive back-heavy draft, despite the fact that Chicago’s biggest need heading into the draft was on the back end of its defense.
With all this in mind, it’s not surprising that Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller heard from an NFL executive that believes Pace’s 2017 draft moves will cost him his job.
Said a high-level executive, "(Ryan Pace) just got fired with this draft."
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 30, 2017
The Bears don’t have the roster to compete in 2017. The past couple of years (since Pace took over) they’ve gone 9-23, and it doesn’t look promising that the losing trend will be reversed this year.
Chicago gave Pace’s predecessor, Phil Emory, just three years to turn the ship around. Emory failed and was fired. It sure looks like Pace will be joining him, sooner rather than later.