The Chicago Bears have no patience with those who can barely help them. Only one year after signing left tackle Orlando Pace, the Bears did not hesitate to waive him on Monday, making his an unrestricted free agent again.
Pace started 11 games last season at left tackle before a minor groin injury sidelined him for a few weeks. With Pace being sidelined, the Bears then moved former first-round draft pick Chris Williams from right tackle to left. Pace, who struggled run blocking but held up vs. the pass rush, allowing only three sacks, thus became an unnecessary part of the team.
When putting on Bears jersey last April with a $15 million, three-year contract, Pace brought a lot of hopes to the team. The former No. 1 overall draft pick from Ohio State in 1997 spent all of his first 12 seasons with the St. Louis Rams. He was selected seven times to Pro Bowl and played in two Super Bowl games as a Ram. However, he did not provide much help to Bears’ faulty offensive line. Instead, the Bears found help from someone else and have depth at the position after all. They have Williams at left tackle and Kevin Shaffer at right tackle. They even have Frank Omiyale to compete with Shaffer for the starting job and James Marten as a backup.
As he said at the end of the season, Pace is having dim future. In order to continue with his NFL career, he may have to accept a reserve role somewhere.
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