March 28, 2024


News

5 things we learned from Bears general manager Ryan Pace on Wednesday

Pace spoke with the media at Halas Hall ahead of the NFL regular season

LAKE FOREST – After cutting down the Bears’ roster to 53 players Tuesday, general manager Ryan Pace met with the media Wednesday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

Pace discussed a wide range of topics ahead of the NFL regular season. Here are the biggest takeaways.

1. Fields is not further ahead than Pace thought he’d be at this point

Pace said the Bears knew what they were getting in Justin Fields when they traded up to 11th overall to draft the quarterback in the spring. Fields’ preseason has not swayed Pace or coach Matt Nagy from starting Andy Dalton on Sept. 12.

“He’s exactly what we thought he was going to be,” Pace said about Fields. “He’s exactly what we hoped he would be. And I don’t think it changes our plan at all. I know the fans are excited, and we’re excited, too.”

Nagy said after the third preseason game that he would be comfortable playing Fields in a regular-season game if he had to.

Asked why the team doesn’t just go ahead and start Fields then, Pace referenced how well they feel Dalton is playing.

“We feel Andy’s in a good place, too,” Pace said. “You know what I mean? It’d be different if we didn’t feel that way. We feel like Andy’s in a good spot, too. We’re confident in Andy.”

Pace did not provide a timeline for when Fields might play.

2. Jenkins’ back injury was ‘different symptoms’ than what he had in college

The Bears were well aware of rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins’ back injury coming out of Oklahoma State. Jenkins opted out of several games toward the end of the season because of a back injury.

Pace said Jenkins’ more recent back injury presented “different symptoms” than his injury last year.

“Without getting into details, he started having some pain down his leg, I think just from the nerve,” Pace said. “And so when you have the surgery, it can alleviate that symptom and, in fact, it already has. He’s in a really good place right now. Now it’s just positive steps going forward.”

The Bears kept Jenkins on their initial 53-man roster before placing him on injured reserve Wednesday because it allows Jenkins the possibility of returning during the regular season.

3. Trevathan’s knee will be something to keep an eye on

The Bears placed inside linebacker Danny Trevathan on injured reserve Wednesday because of a knee injury. Trevathan missed some time during training camp because of the issue. He played really well in his limited playing time during the team’s final preseason game, snagging an interception and breaking up another pass.

With the injured reserve rules that were instituted last year because of the pandemic, Trevathan can return in as little as three weeks. Pace said Trevathan’s knee has been “bothersome” throughout camp.

“Our plan, especially with these IR rules being pretty flexible for us, is to go ahead and get him on [IR] and let him take his time,” Pace said. “Make sure he’s 100% before we put him out there.”

Bears cornerback Kindle Vildor

4. Vildor is poised to start at cornerback

With Desmond Trufant out of the picture, second-year pro Kindle Vildor is likely to step into a starting cornerback position. Fellow second-year pro Jaylon Johnson will patrol the opposite side. The Bears did re-sign cornerback Artie Burns after initially releasing him Tuesday, but Vildor seems more likely to start.

“He plays with so much confidence,” Pace said. “He’s just well-rounded. He’s got ball skills, he has speed, he has man cover ability, he has zone awareness.”

The Bears cut former All-Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller to create cap space in March. Trufant, Fuller’s apparent replacement, left the Bears with little choice but to release him after he missed two weeks of training camp due to a personal matter.

Vildor appeared in all 16 games last year, mostly on special teams, with one start at cornerback. He also started the team’s playoff game. He was a 2020 fifth-round draft pick.

5. Perriman brings speed

The Bears haven’t officially signed receiver Breshad Perriman, but Pace acknowledged that it’s in the works. In a corresponding move, the team waived receiver Rodney Adams, who was one of the best training camp stories of the year.

Perriman appears to be a receiver who has been on the Bears’ radar for a while.

“First thing: speed, big-time speed,” Pace said. “We’ve talked about him, I feel like, every year. We’ve gone back and looked at our grades. We’ve got tons and tons of grades on him, from all of our coaches and all of our scouts. ... He’s big – he’s 6-2 – he can still run, and that’s just continuing the speed and explosiveness in this offense.”

Perriman was the 26th overall draft pick in 2015 by Baltimore. Pace and the Bears selected receiver Kevin White seventh overall that year. The Bears will be Perriman’s seventh team in seven years in the NFL.

Adding speed at receiver has been a focal point for Pace, who also added speedsters Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd via free agency this offseason.

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.