A wise man once said “teams would be smart to draft a quarterback every year.”
But that same man has drafted just one quarterback in six NFL Drafts — in the first round — and that quarterback has to battle for the starting job this season. So, perhaps he’s not-so wise.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has failed the quarterback position since the start of his tenure in 2015. When he had his best chance of locking up Chicago’s franchise quarterback in 2017, he whiffed. He traded up one spot to No. 2 to draft the inexperienced Mitchell Trubisky, a move that hasn’t exactly panned out in three seasons.
Meanwhile, he passed on studs Deshaun Watson and MVP Patrick Mahomes. And the decision will forever define Pace’s tenure.
If there was ever a year to draft a quarterback, this was the year. Not that there was a generational talent that would’ve been sitting there for the Bears in the second round. But because it doesn’t hurt to bring in a developmental guy to learn behind Trubisky and newly-acquired Nick Foles.
For whatever Pace might’ve thought in the past — drafting a quarterback doesn’t look good for your confidence in your young QB — that certainly doesn’t apply this year. Pace’s actions have suggested that he’s ready to move on from Trubisky.
There’s a scenario where both Trubisky and Foles won’t be on Chicago’s roster after 2020 — which would leave practice teamer extraordinaire Tyler Bray as the Bears’ lone quarterback.
If Foles wins the starting job — and plays well during the season, keeping it — it goes without saying that Trubisky is done. But Foles playing very well could certainly hurt the Bears, as he has an option to void the remaining two years on his deal so that he could hit the open market and collect a bigger paycheck. Part of the deal in restructuring his contract as less of a cap hit for the Bears — he’ll cost just $6.6 million this year.
There were several quarterbacks available for the Bears on Day 3, including Washington State’s Anthony Gordon, Iowa’s Nate Stanley and Hawaii’s Cole McDonald. Gordon was still on the board when the Bears’ final two picks rolled around in the seventh round. Still, Pace opted to pass in favor of two offensive linemen.
Barring an unmitigated disaster, Pace will likely keep his job following 2020. We’ll see if he’ll actually pull a trigger on a QB in next year’s draft.
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