The four most interesting things — that had nothing to do with quarterbacks — that we heard from Bears general manager Ryan Pace on Monday:
A-Rob negotiations drag on
Pace said he doesn’t see Sunday’s season opener being the deadline for the Bears to reach a contract extension with receiver Allen Robinson.
His history, though, shows it’s exactly that. Since 2016, he’s given Kyle Long, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Cody Whitehair September extensions before they played the first game of the last seasons of their contract.
Pace wouldn’t negotiate through the media, other than to reiterate that “we know how important A-Rob is to us, not just as a player but as a teammate.”
It doesn’t appear to be going well. Robinson — who has admitted that his social media posts can be an insight into his mindset — posted on Twitter three smiley-face emojis Monday morning. Instead of wearing smiles, though, their mouths were zipped shut.
At issue, undoubtedly, is a smaller 2021 salary cap because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s some curveballs [about the cap], but we’re confident we’ll work through it,” Pace said. “That’s not going to permit us from doing the things that we want to do.”
Quinn knows the defense
Outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who the Bears signed to a five-year, $70 million deal in the offseason, participated in exactly one full practice during camp: the Soldier Field scrimmage. He’s been absent from the last four practices during the portion open to media.
Coaches said the team was easing him back during camp in the wake of a personal issue. While that would concern any franchise, Pace pointed to Quinn’s experience — and his very specific job responsibility — in saying he expected him to be fine.
“Obviously he’s one of our more experienced players,” Pace said of Quinn, who is entering his 10th season. “The best thing he does is get after the quarterback and rush the passer, so it’s not like you know there’s a ton of X’s and O’s necessarily with some of that — just get off the ball and get the corner. But we feel good about where he is, from knowing our defense, even if he has had a little bit of a short training camp.”
He’s got faith in rookies
The ever-enthusiastic general manager shared some of his most ebullient praise for rookies. He said tight end Cole Kmet, a second-round pick from Notre Dame, “might be one of the more … football-intelligent rookies that we’ve ever been around.”
Asked cornerback depth, he singled out fellow second-round pick Jaylon Johnson and fifth-rounder Kindle Vildor. Johnson is listed as the team’s starter opposite Kyle Fuller.
“It was really cool to see the two young draft picks come in and play the way they played,” he said. “They played really well, with Vildor and Jaylon Johnson. It’s neat to see where they’re at. I think both those guys, especially with no offseason, just their football IQ, their professionalism, they made plays throughout camp. I think both those guys gained the confidence of their teammates around them.”
Cut day was different
The lack of preseason games made cut day more difficult than in years past, Pace said. The Bears were forced to rely on their college evaluations — and, Pace said, scouting notes on the few teams that occasionally live-streamed a training camp practice – when considering waiver claims Sunday.
That led to an ice-cold claiming market. In the previous 10 years, there had been 410 waiver claims the day after cuts were made. Sunday, there were 17. The Bears didn’t receive a player during the claiming process.
The Bears’ pro scouts were based at Halas Hall, while college scouts helped from their home bases throughout the country.
“We relied on our scouts, our previous pro grades, our college grades, being creative with how we were watching other teams from afar,” he said. “That all played into it, and then constant dialogue with our scouts along the way.”
