Usually, a general manager will never explain why he’s making certain decisions for his roster. He isn’t obligated to do so. Thus far, GM Ryan Poles has remained somewhat quiet since his last appearance at the scouting combine. Something that continues to annoy many in the Bears beat to no end. Yet when listening to the man speak, one thing has become clear. When he says something, he means every word of it.
From the moment he took over in January, Poles said two things. The Bears were going to build through the draft and be selective in free agency. Given the somewhat modest additions over the past week on the veteran market, it is clear he wasn’t lying. He intends to manage his resources carefully. No overreaching just for the sake of making splashy moves. That has become particularly clear at wide receiver.
Initially, it didn’t start that way.
According to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, Poles thought about making a push for one of the bigger names on the receiver market. Somebody that might be able to become that #1 target for Justin Fields. However, he was talked out of it by assistant GM Ian Cunningham. The reason was that pouring that much money into one player wasn’t likely to make this team better. A wiser course of action was spreading it around to multiple receivers. Particularly types that offer athletic versatility.
In a free-agency meeting with other team personnel, it has happened already. Poles said he was looking at opportunities with a narrow vision.
“I don’t want to be too specific, but it was like, would you rather pay one receiver one lump sum, or have two receivers that better your team?” said Poles, who apparently decided against paying one receiver big money. “Or do you go with a guy that has versatility or no versatility? Wait, this guy can do his job and another job. Should we consider that? In free agency, we’re trying to be disciplined in how we spend money and cap space, so it’s negotiating which player to choose.”
This is where the addition of Byron Pringle makes way more sense. He had almost 600 yards receiving last year in Kansas City with five touchdowns. On top of that, he also delivered 621 kick return yards. This player can do more than one thing well on the field. Ryan Poles managed to snag him for $6 million. By contrast, Christian Kirk (with the same number of TDs despite 43 more targets) signed in Jacksonville for $18 million per year.
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Seeing things from this perspective makes it easier to understand Poles’ approach. The Bears weren’t one big-name free agent away from contention. They need multiple bodies at every position. Cunningham was wise to remind him of that before free agency began.
