Don't let the rampant roster holes or the hardscrabble look of the NFC North division fool you - the Chicago Bears will contend next season.
At least that's what second-year Bears GM Ryan Pace thinks.
"I expect us to compete next year," Pace said recently. "I look at how we competed last year and the close games we were in with what we had. Now we're going to have players back healthy that we didn't have last year. We're to our second year in the system where guys will be playing more naturally, more comfortable and we're going to have a whole new free-agent class and a whole new draft class."
Considering the Bears got absolutely zero impact from last year's first-round pick, wide receiver Kevin White out of West Virginia, Chicago fans are likely looking at this offseason like the team will be seeing the addition of two first-rounders.
And in a way, they're right. White struggled with shin issues last season and failed to suit up for even a single game. Assuming he comes back healthy and can provide at least some production opposite Alshon Jeffrey, the Bears offense and quarterback Jay Cutler in particular should look quite a bit bette (though Cutler likely isn't long for the organization and a quarterback of the future very well may be the direction Pace and Co. go in the 2016 NFL Draft).
But despite Pace's proclamation, the view in Chicago has to be a long-term one. The Bears may have enough talent to "compete," as the newly-minted NFL GM put it, but you need look no further than Pace and Bears head coach John Fox's NFL free agency approach to know that the franchise isn't expecting to be planning a Super Bowl parade come January.
In fact, in the very same interview, Pace makes it clear that he remains focused on "putting together good drafts" and only dipping his toe into the free agency pool. And as those drafts - presumably - begin to pay off, the Bears will in turn back further away from the free agent negotiating table.
Really, it's the surest way to create a consistently winning team. And with shrewd additions like Danny Trevathan combined with drafting that's already landed talents like Jeremy Langford, Hroniss Grasu, Eddie Goldman and Kyle Fuller in the Windy City, things certainly seem to be trending in the right direction under Pace's watchful eye.
But the 2016 NFL Draft will be only just another step along that path away from 6-10 and the NFC North basement. And while the team can't give up on the 2016 NFL season before it ever really begins, you can bet Pace and Fox are already thinking about 2017 and beyond.
