Various reports have revealed the Chicago Bears have met or will meet with a total of 16 possible candidates for their vacant GM position. The latest was Chiefs co-director of player personnel Ryan Poles. It is evident that Bill Polian, the Hall of Fame exec and leader of the Bears’ search, is casting a wide net to gather information on every viable candidate out there. One would think 16 is more than enough.
Well, here’s the thing. They aren’t done yet. According to a source, there is a strong possibility more names will surface in the days to come. Among them include Chiefs director of football operations Mike Borgonzi, Patriots director of player personnel David Ziegler, former Vikings GM Rick Spielman, former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, and former Browns and Chiefs GM John Dorsey.
This falls in line with the Bears’ search pattern up until now.
Of the 16 candidates they’ve lined up, three of them were former general managers in Jeff Ireland, Rick Smith, and Reggie McKenzie. It is becoming clear the organization is looking for somebody with a proven track record. Spielman ran the Vikings’ front office since 2006, getting them to two NFC championship games. Dimitroff got Atlanta to two as well and also reached the Super Bowl in 2016. Dorsey built the foundation of Kansas City’s Super Bowl championship team in 2019 and then constructed a playoff roster for Cleveland.
As for the other two, Borgonzi is a name that has been connected to Chicago since last January. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Bears were keeping tabs on him as a possible replacement for Pace. In the end, it didn’t happen. Now they have a chance to finally meet. Ziegler is the top personnel guy in New England and has significant ties to coaching candidates like Brian Flores and Josh McDaniels.
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Chicago Bears have embraced the speed dating method
If they can’t seem to find the one for them through traditional means, then they’re embracing the idea of meeting everybody. Talk to every single candidate they can and see if any of them stick out as the right choice. Somebody that can fix what has ailed this franchise for so long. It might be too early for picking favorites, but most consider Ed Dodds (Colts assistant GM) and Rick Smith (former Texans GM) as the current frontrunners.
That could soon change as interviews continue. Reports say Browns VP of player personnel Glenn Cook and Titans VP of player personnel Monti Ossenfort both made strong impressions in their first interviews. More are sure to come this week. The way things are going, don’t expect a resolution anytime soon. The Chicago Bears brass seems determined to be much more methodical with this search than years past.
Not necessarily a bad thing.
Remember that Jim Finks, their best-ever GM, wasn’t hired until September of 2004. Jerry Angelo, the architect of their success in the 2000s, didn’t arrive until June of 2001. There can be a benefit in waiting things out. Especially for an owner like George McCaskey who doesn’t have a strong football background of any sort.
