Getty General manager Ryan Pace of the Chicago Bears
Will Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace finally address the team’s glaring need at offensive line before the NFL’s trade deadline Tuesday afternoon? If Pace’s most recent comments on the subject are any indicator, the team may be doing just that. They should be, anyway, after another abysmal performance by their offensive line in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Saints Sunday afternoon.
The Bears allowed five sacks against the Saints, and their o-line is currently riddled with injuries. One starter (James Daniels) is out for the year, and two other starters (Cody Whitehair, Bobby Massie) are dealing with various aliments with the timetable for their returns unknown.
Thus, when Chicago’s GM was interviewed on WBBM Newsradio 780, the team’s flagship station, prior to Sunday’s loss to the Saints, he was asked whether he may be exploring a trade soon. Fortunately, he seemed open to the idea.
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Bears GM Ryan Pace: ‘If Something Makes Sense, We’ll Definitely Explore It’
“We look at every avenue to improve our team,” Pace said Sunday. “We talk about every single one of them. We owe it to ourselves to do that. It’s a unique year. There are some factors that go into that. But no matter what if something makes sense and it’s a fit for us for different reasons, we’re definitely going to explore it.”
Pace also discussed the idea of adversity leading to solutions for the Bears: “I think like any kind of adversity, you go through it and then the approach is always just possible solutions,” Pace said. “What are the solutions? How can we be better? How can we all help? How can we all contribute? That’s what goes through my head.”
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With Pace, His Actions Will Speak Far Louder Than His Words
Pace also discussed his relationship with Bears head coach Matt Nagy, and he noted the importance of honesty in their communications:
“I think it’s just him and I working together to help this team in any way we can, so our conversations are always very collaborative, they’re always very honest. We’re very honest with each other. They’re positive, but I would say they’re solution-based. So it’s constantly, ‘OK, what can we do to fix this?’ There’s always a balance between not overreacting but also doing the necessary things and the right things to get us in a better position,” Pace said.
The Bears have dropped two in a row for the first time this season, and their offense — particularly their offensive line — has been difficult to watch. If Pace is serious about improving his o-line, and if he and Nagy are as honest with themselves and each other as he says they are, he had better be on the phone all day Monday and Tuesday until he acquires an upgrade for his team’s unquestionably bad offensive line.
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