Heading into free agency, there were no shortage of issues for general manager Ryan Pace to address. And while Pace made several moves, not all were met with praise.
Bleacher Report posted an article stating that the Bears were the biggest losers of the NFL offseason so far. Which I highly disagree with, but that’s just me.
Timing is of the essence when it comes to NFL free agency and offseason acquisitions. The perception of moves can drastically change based on when something happens.
The Chicago Bears epitomize how poor timing can wreck an offseason and make their moves look far worse in retrospect.
Even without that added caveat, general manager Ryan Pace’s plan looked suspect from the start since he invested heavily in aging veterans.
Let’s recap, shall we?
To kick start the Bears’ offseason, Pace decided to address the tight end position first and signed veteran Jimmy Graham. The Bears are desperate for tight end help with Trey Burton dealing with injuries last season and them not knowing if Burton will be able to stay healthy all year.
With the loss of Leonard Floyd, Pace needed to find a replacement on defense for Floyd. Surprisingly, he went out and signed Robert Quinn to a five-year, $70 million deal. Quinn on one side and Khalil Mack on the opposite side could be a very dangerous combination for the Bears defense.
Quarterback remained a point of contention for the Bears this offseason. Rumors were swirling around social media that the Bears were interested in Teddy Bridgewater and supposedly were close on a deal, but who knows if that was actually true.
Not long after, the Bears ended up trading for Nick Foles. A quarterback that has experience in the playoffs, and a Super Bowl MVP under his belt, could be good for this team and could be helpful for Mitchell Trubisky.
Another major issue this offseason has been the offensive line, which Pace addressed with the signing of Germain Ifedi. Although, only time will tell if he’s the upgrade Chicago needs.
On the in-house side of things, the Bears re-signed some key defensive pieces in linebacker Danny Trevathan, defensive end Roy-Robertson Harris and safety Deon Bush.
These aren’t necessarily huge moves for the Bears, but adding a Super Bowl MVP quarterback to the mix, a pass rusher that can take the pressure off Mack and adding a veteran tight end isn’t bad at all.
Did Bleacher Report forget about teams like the Minnesota Vikings, who ended up losing half their secondary and didn’t appreciate Stefon Diggs? Or how about the Houston Texans who literally gave up DeAndre Hopkins for a bag of chips?
While the Bears haven’t had the best offseason, they definitely haven’t had the worst.
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