Chicago Bears GM Pace takes on array of questions

With the heaviest lifting of Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace's labors for the season behind him, he took a few moments Monday morning on the new rooftop patio overlooking the practice fields of the refurbished Halas Hall to take questions on how this team came together.

One of the oddities of this Bears' roster is the presence of six inside linebackers when normally four would suffice, and when I asked him about it, Pace explained it was the most obvious result of the main strategy used to assemble this club.

My actual question: "Did you keep six for special teams, or is it a statement about the future of that position?"

"A little bit of both" Pace answered.

"That position is the perfect position when you talk about let's keep the best players. Let's don't get caught up in so much, 'Oh, you've got to have so many at this position.' There are certain parameters you have to pay attention to, but that was a prime example of keeping the best players. And we like all six of those guys."

Most would agree the biggest questions remaining about these Bears are at tight end, quarterback, the new additions and, of course, the kicker.

Tight end comes with its own questions. Where is Adam Shaheen at now as your No. 1? Can you count on Trey Burton to be healthy at the "U?"

Is Ben Braunecker, who can play "Y" and "U" but is primarily a "U," enough depth behind your starters?

How and why was Bradley Sowell the last man standing after Ian Bunting (cut), Dax Raymond (injured reserve) and Jesper Horsted (practice squad) were ruled out?

Pace said: "I think Shaheen's in a really good place right now. We're excited where he's at.

"Braunecker, he's a big part of what we're doing in a lot of different areas on offense and special teams. And then Bradley Sowell is continuing to grow and develop in his role as more of a blocking, "Y" tight end."

Asked where his confidence in Shaheen comes from, Pace explained, "I don't know what his ceiling is, and that's a good thing. I think he can be very well-rounded. In the pass game, he's such a big target, such a long target. Even when he's covered, he's really not covered because he can body guys and go up and make a play."

Clearly, it's do or die with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, but everybody's asking, can he take the next step?

Pace believes his quarterback already is on the way.

"I feel like, just his overall confidence in the offense, you can feel him operating faster, and I think that comes with knowledge and comfort in the offense, with the scheme and then also the players that he's playing with," he said.

"We use the words incremental growth, (and) that's exactly what's happening with Mitch, along with a lot of other players.

"I know there's a lot of focus on him and, understandably so, the quarterback, but we've got a lot of young players on this team that are growing before our eyes, and that's a good thing."

Why should Bears fans believe that new additions David Montgomery, Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Buster Skrine, among others, are the right answers?

"So I think that's what's so important is when (coach) Matt (Nagy) and I or the personnel department are locked together on these decisions, it just increases your accuracy. And I think that's happening.

"That's a strength of our organization right now - how close we are as a personnel department and a coaching department. That's a true strength."

Lastly, for obvious reasons a disproportionate amount of the conversation was about his place-kicker.

Ryan, did you get it right with Eddy?

"The whole process that we went through, that was really the plan all along," Pace said. "And the hope all along and the optimism is to hit on a young kicker than we can grow and develop - and we feel like we've done that.

"We're very confident in him, and there was a lot of adversity built into that plan, strategically so. And we think it worked out just right."

• Hub Arkush, the executive editor of Pro Football Weekly, can be reached at harkush@profootballweekly.com or on Twitter @Hub_Arkush.