Andy Dalton's Release Proves Bears Were Stupid to Jump the Gun and Trade for Nick Foles

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who has caught a heap of criticism for his showing in the 2020 NFL Draft. In puzzling fashion, the Bears used the No. 43 overall pick on Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet, which made him the 10th TE rostered by the team.

Fast forward to Thursday, and Chicago is back to looking like fools. Remember when Pace sent a compensatory fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for quarterback Nick Foles and his mammoth contract earlier in the offseason?

Well, the Cincinnati Bengals just released Andy Dalton, who could've been signed on the cheap had Pace played it smart and remained patient.

How many strikes is Pace going to get? Its understood that GMs swing and miss every now and then, but we feel confident in saying that the 43-year-old's batting average is well below the Mendoza line.

Foles might have a Super Bowl under his belt, but if we're talking consistency, Dalton wins this debate in a landslide. Outside of his shocking championship run in 2018 when Carson Wentz went down and a superb 2013 campaign (both with the Philadelphia Eagles), Foles has been the definition of an average quarterback. Some could even say that's being generous.

Dalton, on the other hand, is a three-time Pro Bowler and is almost always good for 20-plus touchdowns and close to 3,500 yards in a season. Further, the Bengals have been to the playoffs five times in his nine years as the starting QB.

Trading for Foles seemed like the right move at the time, but it hasn't taken long at all for Pace to look foolish for doing so. Dalton is arguably the better player and he would've accounted for a much smaller cap hit. He also wouldn't have cost Chicago a draft pick.

Bears fans have every reason to be growing tired of Pace.