GM Ryan Poles isn’t one to remain complacent when it comes to his scouting department. The man is always ready to offer opportunities to those seeking them. That is how he got his foot in the door 14 years ago with the Kansas City Chiefs. He no doubt wants to do the same with the Chicago Bears. It appears the organization is beefing up its scouting department for veteran minicamps and training camp, creating a trial period for some young guys hoping to break into the big league.
One of them comes from the upstart USFL, according to Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com. Matthew McCreight concluded a solid college career at Bucknell before jumping into the scouting field. In barely a year, he’s gotten the opportunity to learn from some prominent people in the business.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced the additions on Monday, naming Matthew McCreight, David Dudeck III and Deron Johnson Jr. to this year’s scouting additions.
“We are very excited to welcome new talent to join our scouting staff for our 2023 veteran and training camp sessions,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “We are eager to watch these three individuals grow over the course of their time with us and excited to learn from them as well.”
McCreight joins the Bears from the United States Football League (USFL), where he currently serves as a scouting assistant. Prior to joining the USFL in March 2023, McCreight gained experience as a group leader at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. As a group leader, he was a liaison between players and NFL scouts and assisted in evaluating the tight ends at the Senior Bowl practice, while submitting player reports.
McCreight has gotten a quick education.
During his off-season at the Senior Bowl, he learned under veteran scout Jim Nagy who won multiple Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Shifting to the USFL brought him in contact with Daryl Johnston, a former Super Bowl-winning fullback and successful color analyst for the NFL.
The Chicago Bears are digging into bloodlines with McCreight.
His grandfather Thomas went to Northwestern and played in the NFL for the Giants and Browns. His own college career at Bucknell didn’t produce results on the stat sheet. However, McCreight quickly developed a reputation as somebody who worked really hard, had a sharp mind, and was highly personable with people around him. Those traits often make for an excellent scout and perhaps a future GM. It isn’t hard to understand why the Bears chose to give him this opportunity.
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It’s possible McCreight may not earn a job with the team this summer. Perhaps it’ll be a great learning experience as he returns to the USFL. Still, it’s always fun to see stories like this develop. People often forget these future GMs don’t fall out of the sky. All of them have an origin story. This could be one for McCreight. It falls on him to make the most of it.
