While the Chicago Bears’ aggressive attempt to acquire Russell Wilson didn’t bear fruit, the team still needs to continue to look for a franchise quarterback, this time in the draft.
The Chicago Bears wanted to make a big splash at the start of the new NFL year. They were linked to a number of high-profile quarterbacks, including Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. General manager Ryan Pace did his best to swing big recently in his pursuit of Wilson but ultimately missed when the Seattle Seahawks decided that they weren’t going to trade him.
Pace and the Bears still ended up making a splash, but not in a good way. They had to go to their Plan B, signing Andy Dalton. They succeeded in getting that done, but with all the talk about Wilson possibly coming to Chicago, settling for Dalton was not a popular move. Dalton is a decent quarterback but he isn’t on the level of Wilson. The fans’ reaction was swift and negative.
After the Bears signed Dalton we found out how aggressive Pace was in trying to pry Wilson from Seattle. He offered the Seahawks three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two starting players. That is a good enough package to convince most teams to make a deal. The fact that the Seahawks said no to such a rich offer signifies that whatever problems Wilson has with the team isn’t so big that they can’t continue to work together.
The aggressive nature in which Pace went after Wilson needs to continue. Watson’s problems with the Houston Texans seem to be more severe. He allegedly told the team on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t play for them again. This is not something that Wilson said to Seattle. Perhaps Pace can work a deal there. Of course, Pace’s failure to go after Watson in the 2017 draft may have an impact on Pace acquiring Watson now.
Chicago needs to use their desperation to draft a franchise quarterback
If the Bears cannot find a deal for a better veteran quarterback then they need to turn their attention to the draft. They currently hold the 20th pick in the first round. Prospects like Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones could all go in the top ten. If they were willing to make a big offer to acquire Wilson then they should do the same in the draft.
Look, Pace’s inability to acquire a franchise quarterback during his tenure so far puts him and the team in desperation mode. Team owner George McCaskey made it worse by not firing Pace this offseason. A new general manager could be aggressive but not desperate. Pace needs to save his job and improve the roster in any way possible.
The problem now is whether Pace has the ability to find his quarterback now. As mentioned earlier, he swung and missed in all of the quarterbacks he acquired since he came to Chicago in 2015. The most famous mistake was giving up some important draft pieces to move up from three to two and bypass Watson for Mitchell Trubisky. It looks like Trubisky’s time in Chicago has come to an end.
Can Pace forget all his mistakes and finally bring in a franchise quarterback? Well, if he doesn’t he’ll certainly be looking for another job.
