As the 2023 season prepares to kick off, GM Ryan Poles is content knowing he did everything possible to help the Chicago Bears get ready. He added ten draft choices, several free agents, and a prominent trade acquisition to the mix. This roster looks younger, faster, and deeper than in the past few years. Nobody knows how far it will go. Health and strength of schedule will play a part in answering that. Either way, Poles has shifted his focus to preparing for 2024. It figures to be the most important off-season of his young career.
Much of that comes from having two picks in the 1st round, courtesy of the D.J. Moore trade earlier this year. There is a long way to go before the Bears zero in on prospects. It wasn’t until March of this year that they became confident Darnell Wright was their guy. There are plenty of excellent prospects to sort through for 2024, but one source said Poles has one name high on his list early this year.
That is wide receiver Keon Coleman. He started turning heads last season at Michigan State with big performances against Michigan and Penn State. When he transferred to Florida State to join prominent quarterback Jordan Travis, people felt it could be the start of something big.
Sure enough, in their first game together, Coleman went off for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
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Ryan Poles eyeing Coleman is hardly a surprise.
The Bears have a fluid situation developing at wide receiver. The trio of D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, and Darnell Mooney has a chance to be solid. There is one concern. Both Claypool and Mooney have expiring contracts. Without extensions, they will be free agents in 2024. Neither played well enough last season to warrant a new deal before this year begins. That means they are playing for their money. If the Bears let one or both of them walk next off-season, wide receiver becomes a big need.
Coleman has all the tools you are looking for. He’s 6’4, 215 lbs, tracks the ball well, has quick feet, and accelerates so well for somebody his size. He’s the type of guy where you can throw it in his vicinity, and he’ll find a way to bring it in. Ryan Poles has shown that he prefers receivers with size. Trading for Claypool and N’Keal Harry, both 6’4+ giants, is proof of that. Coleman is quickly putting himself into the 1st round conversation. Chicago will be perfectly positioned to get him if he keeps this up.
