This season has been a disappointment for the Chicago Bears. It isn’t only that it will likely be another losing record. What stood out most about it was all the turmoil in the locker room, from two coaches being released for misconduct purposes to a quarterback calling out the staff for “overcoaching.” That doesn’t include some epic 4th quarter collapses for good measure. Even a rumor is circulating that some players have lost faith in head coach Matt Eberflus. It raises questions about the future of the current regime, from GM Ryan Poles down to Justin Fields.
Most agree that Eberflus is likely gone, barring a string of wins in the coming weeks. Fields is also on thin ice. While he’s been somewhat less erratic over the past two months, he still hasn’t taken big strides as a pocket passer. The biggest uncertainty lay with Poles. While the GM has his share of blunders, from drafting Velus Jones to trading for Chase Claypool, it’s fair to say he has done a solid job retooling the Bears’ roster. The offensive line is much improved. D.J. Moore and Montez Sweat are playing like stars. The defense is forcing turnovers. This team would have more than four wins if not for some questionable coaching.
Is that enough to preserve Poles’ job? ESPN’s Courtney Cronin revealed on Waddle & Silvy that the feeling she gets out of Halas Hall is the GM won’t be going anywhere.
Ryan Poles has earned more time.
The evidence on the field speaks for itself. Chicago has a lot more talent on this team than they’ve had in recent years, especially up front. Better still, he has them set up beautifully for 2024 with two projected top-5 picks and over $80 million in salary cap space. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Kevin Warren likes the work he’s done. The Bears president probably feels like the two can work well together in figuring out the situations at head coach and quarterback. Sometimes, young GMs make mistakes.
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One thing about Ryan Poles is he’s smart and seems to learn from his mistakes. His acquisitions of Moore and Sweat via trade are perfect examples of this. After the Claypool incident, he put far greater emphasis on the character of the players he traded for. That philosophy bled into his work with free agency and the draft. Now, guys like T.J. Edwards, Darnell Wright, and Gervon Dexter are having an impact. Poles feels like he’s on the cusp of building something special. All he needs is time.
