After trading Anthony Miller for something, it’s clear that whatever his virtues and vices, Ryan Pace seldom takes a day off. The man is always working at his craft. On the management side of things, fans have mixed opinions of the work he has done in assembling a team that always seems to be “almost” ready to turn the corner. However, it’s also pretty clear that fans feel one side of the ball has been managed better than others.
The candidates for his best two moves both involve defenders, and those players have defined the reinvented defense. The contenders who are at the core of his worst two moves are both quarterbacks.
Best
#1: Khalil Mack - did Pace give up too much for the All-Pro, or was the trade for Mack what was needed to spark the only winning season the Bears have had during the Ryan Pace era? Mack has been ferocious, but he does not seem to break games open the way fans were hoping, or expecting, of him when the colossal trade happened. To be fair, the attention he commands gives plenty of other players their opportunities to do more.
#2: Akiem Hicks - Hicks cost no picks, only cash. It is debatable whether or not the defense would have turned around without Mack’s presence, but it is also hard to say that the defense plays at the same level when #96 is out.
Worst
#1: Signing Mike Glennon - Pace bid against himself to get the services of a player who was never more than a mid-tier backup, and whose uninspired play was so predictable that the move was mocked by most of the football world as soon as it was made. The argument that Glennon was a smokescreen helps little when Pace still had to trade up to secure his guy, and it helps even less when “his guy” turned out to be a bust.
#3: Nick Foles - the former Super Bowl MVP was brought in as either backup to or competition for Trubisky. He managed to be the worst of both worlds in terms of deal, in that he brought with him an unwieldy contract and he cost draft capital. Worse, he never delivered on the field.
Remember to vote in the next 36 hours and to make sure to register your thought process in the comments below.
Poll
Which was Ryan Pace’s best management move?
This poll is closed
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50%
#1: Trading for Khalil Mack
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50%
#2: Signing Akiem Hicks
Poll
Which was Ryan Pace’s worst management move?
This poll is closed
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60%
#1: Signing Mike Glennon
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39%
#3: Trading for Nick Foles