Previously, the Bears under general manager Ryan Pace have been risk averse in free agency, and preferred to gamble with their first round selections in the NFL Draft. It’s been about acquiring young players Chicago is comfortable with on rookie contracts, and signing veterans to prices every party can agree upon. Pace himself has drastically described the perils of free agency as “walking through land mines” and instead focused on building through the draft.
After buying low and going with limited risk on the open market in the previous three seasons, Pace went pushed his hand in this March.