This might be an unpopular opinion, but the Bears’ ownership was smart to re-sign Ryan Poles to a five-year extension. I became an avid Bears fan in 2010 (I gracefully accept the condolences in the comment section). I witnessed the end of the Jerry Angelo era, suffered through the Phil Emery era, and saw the team consistently mortgage the future during the Ryan Pace era. Poles has undoubtedly been the best of the bunch since taking over in 2022.
Has Poles been perfect? No, not by any means. However, no GM bats a thousand with as many at-bats as they take. Howie Roseman drafted Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson and JJ Arcega-Whiteside over DK Metcalf. Brett Veach traded a third and sixth-round pick for Kadarius Toney. They’ve made more A+ signature moves, but they’ve also had a lot more time on the job to do so.
I knew Poles wouldn’t be one to sit on his hands when his first move on the job was trading away Khalil Mack. Like many, I was PISSED. I couldn’t believe they traded away a future Hall of Famer when his value was at an all-time low (he was coming off a seven-game injury-riddled season). However, after the initial shock wore off, I understood getting Mack’s massive contract off the books was a necessary evil.
You could make a few valid points on both sides of the aisle regarding Poles’ future in Chicago. However, when it’s all said and done, I think there are a few reasons why they made the right call.
He has built a STRONG roster.
Ryan Pace did a NUMBER on the Bears’ cap situation. He also traded multiple draft picks (including their first-round selection) from the 2022 NFL Draft to move up in the ’21 draft. It’s hard to blame him for being desperate. He knew he was on borrowed time, and it was a last-ditch effort to accelerate the rebuild he was seemingly in denial about.
Needless to say, with that added context, Poles inherited an absolute mess, and he knew it. He knew the team would need to be torn down to the studs to rebuild it the right way. The 2022 squad, which featured numerous bargain-bin additions, went 3-14 and had one of the worst defenses in franchise history. That wasn’t a major surprise. They were picking at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft as a result, and Poles successfully flipped the selection to the Panthers in one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.
The Bears underwent a massive transformation in the 2023 offseason. There were still a few glaring weaknesses, but the roster was talented. They made strides in the winning column, too. Chicago finished the year 7-10 and was three late-game collapses (more on those later) away from a Wild Card birth. The real kicker is that they would have also knocked Green Bay out of the playoff picture in the process.
One year later, the deal netted them the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and they landed the most valuable asset in all of sports- A ‘generational’ quarterback prospect. The trade had still not yet been in the books (it mercifully ended with the second-round selection of Luther Burden III this year), but the addition of Caleb Williams put the cherry on top of what had already been a lopsided deal.
I know Chicago is coming off an extremely disappointing five-win season, but there is a clear explanation for that (more on that shortly), and it isn’t tied to their overall talent. The Bears virtually eliminated their remaining weaknesses (namely, along the interior of the offensive line) this offseason. They did it by making some savvy moves, too, shipping off mid and late-round picks for their two starting guards in Joe Thuney, who has made three straight Pro Bowls, and Jonah Jackson, who was previously a Pro Bowler under Ben Johnson in Detroit.
General Managers don’t play, nor do they coach. Their most important job is to assemble a talented roster. Poles has passed that test with flying colors. Unfortunately, their second-most important job is to identify coaches who can get the most out of those players. More on that now..
He should not be responsible for Matt Eberflus’ shortcomings (to an extent).
A hotly debated topic. After all, Poles hired Matt Eberflus, and the two were tied together from the jump. However, he gave Eberflus everything needed to succeed, and, from 2023 onward, gave it to him on a silver platter. All the ‘Flus had to do was keep the team afloat, and he consistently failed to do so.
The Bears were up 28-7 with 4:11 left in the third quarter against the Broncos in Week Four of the 2023 season. They went on to lose 31-28. Seven weeks later, they found themselves up 26-14 with 4:15 left against the Lions. They went on to lose 31-26. Four weeks later, they were up 17-7 with just over 12 minutes left against Cleveland. You know what happened next… 20-17, Browns.
The Matt Eberflus era never should’ve continued after those devastating losses. I don’t care if he had the defense humming (which he admittedly did late in the ’23 season); He belonged behind bars. The ‘Flus had as much situational awareness as Helen Keller would have if you resurrected her, threw her on a time machine, and had her throw on the coaching hat on an NFL sideline.
Eberflus definitely shouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near Caleb Williams. I know there were some rumblings that Poles wanted to move on after the season, but George McCaskey put the kibosh on it. I don’t know if that’s true, so I’m not going to give him the benefit of the doubt for it. There are no excuses to be made for why he was allowed to return for another stint.
Naturally, the ’24 season was business as usual for the ‘Flus. The Bears lost to the Commanders on a Hail Mary after they allowed them to gain a free 15 yards to get in position for the lob. He didn’t bother calling the timeout they had in their back pocket to inform the defense how to handle the situation. Abysmal clock management late in games contributed (or more so caused) two more losses against the Packers and Lions later in the season. The front office mercifully took him to pasture after the Detroit debacle on Thanksgiving.
Once again, he found a way to lose three games that looked like sure wins. If he had been axed before the season, we could be having an entirely different conversation right now. I don’t know if we would have Ben Johnson (more on that later), though, so maybe the pain was all worth it?
Oh yeah, the man also never won a Sunday road game in his two and a half years at the helm. Couldn’t even luck his way into winning one game. Are we pinning that on Poles, too?
He lured Ben Johnson to the Windy City.
I can’t emphasize how important this one is. The notoriously cheap McCaskey family never shelled out big money for a head coaching candidate. Whenever a big fish is available, they prefer the rod-and-reel approach. They’re not breaking out the harpoon. That was, of course, until this offseason…
Ben Johnson was unanimously considered the top head coaching candidate on the market. He had options, and still wanted to come to Chicago, where he plays his former team twice a year. That’s not very surprising, but it is a testament to the roster that Poles built. Having a QB with as much untapped potential as Williams certainly doesn’t hurt, but that clearly wasn’t the only determining factor.
I do find it a bit surprising that the McCaskeys were willing to shell out a five-year, $65 million deal to land him. I don’t know how much convincing Poles had to do to get them to write that check, but I’m sure he recognized what Johnson could bring to the table. Credit to him for righting his wrong with the Eberflus hire.
Some were upset that he had a chance to hire another coach, but I don’t understand that mindset. Broncos GM George Paton hired Nathaniel Hackett before Sean Payton arrived in Denver. Nick Caserio is already on coach number three in Houston. Les Snead’s first choice for the Rams was Jeff Fisher before he landed Sean McVay in 2017. Howie Roseman is on coach number four in the post-Andy Reid era in Philly (he fired him, by the way).
The grass isn’t always greener. We’ve seen some terrible GMs at the helm for the Bears. Ryan Poles has proven to be a savvy decision maker with an eye for talent, unlike some of the other decision makers before him. Call me an optimist, but I still think Chicago has the right guy leading the ship.
