Chicago Bears Name Ryan Pace as New General Manager

The Chicago Bears have hired Ryan Pace as their new general manager.

Continue for updates.

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Bears Name Pace GM

Thursday, Jan. 8

The Bears announced Ryan Pace would be the team's new general manager on Thursday, via Twitter:

ESPN's Jeff Dickerson broke down Pace's credentials:

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Pace was promoted to the Saints' director player personnel in 2013, a position that called for Pace to assist New Orleans Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis in overseeing the Saints' pro and college scouting departments.

Pace joined the Saints in 2001 after playing college football at Eastern Illinois University. He worked as the Saints' director of pro personnel from 2007-2012.

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Pace interviewed for the job on Wednesday, and apparently impressed enough to earn it.  

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Newsome, Ross, Dawson Among Bears GM Targets

Tuesday, Dec. 30

The Chicago Bears signaled their decision to move in a new direction by letting general manager Phil Emery go on Monday. A group of candidates to fill the void is already starting to emerge.

Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports Fritz Pollard Alliance chairman John Wooten recommended Vince Newsome, Marc Ross and Lake Dawson to Ernie Accorsi, who's working with the Bears to find the right person to get the team back on track.    

"All of those guys have outstanding evaluation skills," Wooten said.

Chris Ballard, who is the player personnel director for the Kansas City Chiefs, is another target for the position, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Newsome is the director of pro personnel for the Baltimore Ravens. As the report notes, however, he's not related to the team's general manager, Ozzie Newsome. He's filled numerous roles within the franchise since 1993.

Ross currently serves as the New York Giants vice president of player evaluation. He previously spent six years as the team's director of college scouting. He also worked with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles as part of those organizations' scouting departments.

Dawson serves as the vice president of player personnel for the Tennessee Titans. A former wide receiver, he also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks in a player-personnel role. All told, he's spent two decades in the league.

It's unclear exactly how long the Bears' search will last before making a decision or how many candidates will be considered.

After a season that began with so much optimism spiraled out of control, it would be hard to blame the team for taking some extra time to narrow down potential replacements. The new general manager will need to make some key decisions to get things moving back in a positive direction.