When Ryan Pace took over as the general manager of the Bears, he inherited a roster with very few defensive assets.
Though the 2015 season saw a jump from their being the second-worst defense in opposing points to ranking 20th, the Bears’ defense was still sorely lacking in talent. Their secondary was young and lacked significant investment, their linebackers were among the worst in the league, and they struggled heavily with generating pressure along the interior against the pass.
In his first offseason, Pace added the likes of Pernell McPhee and Antrel Rolle to the defense. The former showed promise but struggled with injury, while the latter was released after just one season.