Ryan Pace: No surgeries for Bears’ Khalil Mack, Jaylon Johnson

It’s a pivotal off-season for Ryan Pace’s Bears regime. After finishing 8-8 in two straight seasons, the long-time general manager appears to be in a strange holding pattern of sorts. Anything less than spectacular, winning results next fall might spell out doom for Pace and his cohort.

That’s why it’s important to take good news whenever possible.

During Tuesday’s off-season introductory press conference, Pace shared an important update on two Bears players foundational to any hopeful success in 2021, Khalil Mack and Jaylon Johnson. Mack, after suffering and playing through a knee injury for most of last season, did not have surgery to repair the damage. Meanwhile Johnson, after missing Chicago’s last three games with a shoulder injury that also bothered him in college at Utah, also did not need to go on the operating table to fix his ailment. No doubt a boon of positivity for everyone at Halas Hall.

If the Bears are to field a legitimate contender come September, they’re going to need all hands on deck. Having your best pass rusher and No. 2 cornerback participate in a full off-season of activity is undoubtedly an instrumental step in that direction.