Pace prioritized improving the Bears' blocking with his offseason moves, first by hiring Juan Castillo as the new offensive line coach and then by signing of Germain Ifedi to be the new right guard. David Montgomery returns as the feature back, with Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall back as well.
The Bears' lone addition at running back was Artavis Pierce, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State. With training camp underway at Halas Hall, Pace isn't backing down from his faith in the backfield.
"I feel like with David (Montgomery), we're going to continue to see him progress and we're really happy with the way that he performed last year," Pace said last week. "Definitely arrow up. Tarik (Cohen), everything that we can gather as far as his mental mindset right now, his approach to this season, we're excited about Tarik. I like his approach. You factor in Ryan Nall, who we like, who's growing here in our organization.
"I'm excited about our running back room."
The Bears averaged 3.7 yards per rushing attempt in 2019, which ranked 30th in the NFL. A third-round pick in 2019, Montgomery also averaged 3.7 yards per rush as a rookie. Cohen averaged career-lows with 3.3 yards per rush and 4.7 yards per touch in his third season. Nall rushed twice for eight total yards.
Another potential option for the Bears in the backfield would be a greater usage of receiver Cordarrelle Patterson as a running back. He rushed 17 times for 103 yards last season and has averaged 7.1 yards per rushing attempt in his career.
With training camp having just started, the Bears could still turn to the free-agent market to add a veteran running back. Devonta Freeman, Lamar Miller and Theo Riddick are among the veterans still available on the open market. A two-time Pro Bowler, Freeman recently hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent in the hopes of landing a deal ahead of the regular season.
For now, Pace is remaining firm with his faith in the Bears' running backs.
"It's a talented room," Pace said. "And we like our depth in there."