Pace turns corner on roster building
Looking at Ryan Pace’s track record since becoming Bears general manager in 2015, he seems to have figured out not to get caught in the middle.
One approach to free agency is that when you’re shopping for players, you better be doing it at the high end or the very low end because unless you’re bargain shopping, you’re paying through the nose. Pace has learned that lesson the hard way through many of the team’s moves in the previous three years and has emerged with what looks to be an entirely new blueprint for roster building. It’s possible because the Bears finally have developed a nucleus of some productive homegrown players and a quarterback they believe they can build around for years to come in Mitch Trubisky.
When Chairman George McCaskey explained the decision to extend the contract of Pace on Jan. 1, the same day coach John Fox was fired at the end of a 14-34 three-year run that both men oversaw, he talked about making good on his promise.
Pace told McCaskey when he arrived in 2015 that a rebuild was going to take time. McCaskey said although he’s not a patient man by nature, he promised just that — patience.
The Bears will unveil their 2018 model Sunday night at Lambeau Field, one that is costly and fortified in the high-rent district. It’s unknown how it all will come together and the biggest piece, Trubisky, remains intriguing yet unknown. But this team certainly looks more promising than the previous versions. Pace clearly was given the green light and resources to expedite the arduous rebuilding process throughout the offseason with the latest and largest example being last weekend’s bounty of draft picks and cash used to acquire outside linebacker Khalil Mack.
The pitfalls the Bears have encountered in free agency are well documented and there is a common theme to many of the most disappointing additions. Without delving into the mistake that was quarterback Mike Glennon, there are numerous underwhelming moves. Cornerback Marcus Cooper, safeties Antrel Rolle and Quintin Demps, wide receivers Eddie Royal and Markus Wheaton, linebacker Jerrell Freeman and tight end Dion Sims were all buys made in the middle of the market.
Cooper and Wheaton earned $6 million last season. Demps ($5 million) and Rolle ($4.9 million) were praised as solid veteran leaders who could plug holes. Neither did and each lasted only one season. Demps remains out of the league while Rolle’s career ended in Chicago. Royal was overpaid $10 million for two unproductive seasons and didn’t play again after he left. The decision to bring Sims back this season means he will earn $12 million over two years with a chance to give the club more return on the investment in 2018. Freeman was guaranteed $6 million when he was signed. His career is over.
The thinking was the Bears had Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts.
Jimmy Graham (6-foot-7, 265 pounds) is in his first season in Green Bay after signing a three-year, $30 million contract with
$11 million guaranteed. He’s entering his ninth season and will pair with fellow free-agent signee Marcedes Lewis to work the middle of the field for Aaron Rodgers.
Graham, 31, hasn’t been quite the same performer since he ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in 2015. His average per catch dipped below 10 yards for the first time in his career last season with the Seahawks at 9.1, but he excelled as a red-zone target, catching 10 touchdown passes.
“Last year it was all about the red zone for Jimmy, but out in the field, he hasn’t run as well since the knee injury and he’s lost some flexibility in the knee,” an NFL scout said. “At this point in his career, he’s not that electric athlete who has the burst and the separation ability between the 20s. But when you get him inside the 20-yard line, especially inside the 10, he’s still a dynamic weapon. He’s got the frame and an enormous catch radius and he knows how to use leverage at the point of attack. He knows how to shield defenders. He’s even more dangerous with a guy with the ball-placement ability of Rodgers. So if a defensive back is sitting inside of him, Rodgers is going to put it on the outside shoulder and vice versa if the leverage is changed. What (Graham is) still great at is contested throws. So if a defensive back has him covered and he’s running a fade, the ball is still coming.
“The key for Graham isn’t the number of catches — it’s obviously production in the red zone — but out in the field, can he make plays in impactful game situations? I’m talking third-and-7. Can Jimmy show up? That’s why they paid him.” a lot of holes to fill but in shopping in the middle of the market, they wound up overpaying for too many players that were, at best, underperforming placeholders.
Defensive end Akiem Hicks is an example of a middle of the market buy who worked out fantastically. He originally signed on a $10 million two-year contract. Right tackle Bobby Massie has been steady while the market at that position has bumped up considerably. But they are exceptions amid a string of veterans the Bears overpaid for, the reason one agent said that landing a veteran client at Halas Hall was like winning the lottery.
Some low-end purchases worked out well for Pace. Outside linebacker Sam Acho played on a minimum deal for three straight years, a value buy over and over again before being rewarded this year. Running back Benny Cunningham is a nice role player. Cornerback Tracy Porter originally came in on a minimum-salary benefit deal and played well before knee issues. Defensive end Mitch Unrein was a solid pickup.
More expensive signings in the last couple of offseasons, including linebacker Danny Trevathan and cornerback Prince Amukamara have worked out well, though injuries have limited Trevathan somewhat. Left guard Josh Sitton was solid for two seasons.
The Bears went big to revamp the skill position players, signing wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and tight end Trey Burton. They paid for a quarterback who understands the intricacies of the offense in Chase Daniel. They paid for kicker Cody Parkey to replace low-budget option Connor Barth, who didn’t work out.
Robinson was among the top two wide receivers on the market with Sammy Watkins. It just depends on how you stack them up. Gabriel has top speed and Burton has experience in the system with a chance to break out. The trio was guaranteed $61.2 million so all three will need big seasons to match their contracts but they are the kind of additions that have a real chance to be difference makers.
Nose tackle Eddie Goldman was rewarded Friday with a $42 million, four-year extension that reportedly includes $25 million guaranteed. He’s the first Pace draft pick to have received a second contract from the club and that is the direction the organization wants to head — investing in its own.