March 28, 2024


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Sean Hammond: 5 questions for Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace not about the quarterback

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy, left, speaks as general manager Ryan Pace looks on at a news conference prior to the start of training camp for the 2018 season.

It has been about two months since we last heard from Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Since then, there have been a lot more rumors than concrete changes to the Bears roster.

That is likely to change in the next few weeks. Pace and Nagy will meet the media Tuesday, and many of the questions will be the ones you might expect. Rather than regurgitate the big questions, here are five more subtle things we can hope to learn from Pace and Nagy on Tuesday:

1. How has their draft process changed this year?

I’ll save my Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson question for later. Just kidding.

Last year’s virtual draft was a first. This year has provided more time to prepare for a virtual draft process. Does losing the true NFL Combine change the way an NFL team prepares for its biggest days on the offseason calendar? And how might it all factor in at quarterback, a position the Bears are certainly studying?

2. What are Nagy’s thoughts on the defensive coaching staff?

We haven’t heard from Nagy since the Bears hired defensive coordinator Sean Desai, senior assistant Mike Pettine, or assistants coaches Mike Adams, Bill McGovern, Bill Shuey and Chris Rumph. The makeup of the Bears defensive coaching staff has changed significantly. I will be curious to see what Nagy thinks of his new defensive coaches, especially his coordinator.

[Read more: From his early coaching years in Connecticut high school football, Sean Desai showed promise]

3. What happens after A-Rob?

Whether it happens this year or next year, it seems increasingly likely that Allen Robinson’s days in Chicago are numbered. The obvious question here is what’s next after A-Rob? Barring a longterm extension – which is still absolutely possible – Robinson isn’t going to be here too much longer.

Pace has to be thinking about the future at receiver, a position that is particularly thin right now. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bears draft a receiver high. I’d like to hear Pace’s thinking on the position moving forward.

[Read more: 2021 Bears position needs: Free agent and draft options at wide receiver]

4. Who is kicking next year?

Remember Eddy Pineiro? He’s still on the team, although he didn’t suit up for a single game in 2020. Pineiro is a restricted free agent, meaning the Bears could match an offer from another team.

Starting kicker Cairo Santos is an unrestricted free agent. The Bears will certainly want to re-sign him after his record-setting season, but that is going to come with a raise, not to mention a multi-year commitment.

What is Pace thinking about the kicker situation. He and Nagy probably aren’t eager to go into 2021 facing more kicker questions.

5. What’s next for Akiem Hicks?

There’s an elephant in the room where defensive tackle Akiem Hicks is concerned. If he weren’t such an integral part of the Bears’ locker room, he would be an obvious cut or trade candidate. Doing either would save $10.5 million in cap space in 2021, when Hicks will be 32.

Even so, I’d be shocked if the Bears went that route. An extension and a contract restructure seems more likely. What are the Bears’ thinking with Hicks? How much do they value his leadership vs. the large cap number they could save on his contract?

Sean Hammond

Sean Hammond

Sean is the Chicago Bears beat reporter for the Shaw Local News Network. He has covered the Bears since 2020. Prior to writing about the Bears, he covered high school sports for the Northwest Herald and contributed to Friday Night Drive. Sean joined Shaw Media in 2016.