George McCaskey felt it in his bones. After interviewing Ryan Poles in January, he knew he was the guy the Chicago Bears needed as their next general manager. He was so sure of it that he personally drove to the airport to pick the 36-year-old executive up. That was the clincher. The two sides reached an agreement shortly afterward. In the months since one can say Poles made a solid first impression. He cut loose several older players on expensive contracts, survived multiple public controversies, and secured several young players that look like they have a bright future in the NFL.
He did all of this with minimal resources to work with. All the while, his choice of coaching staff led by Matt Eberflus has successfully turned around Justin Fields at quarterback. Other GMs his age might’ve floundered under such pressure. Chicago isn’t an easy place to work. Bears fans are a demanding, vocal bunch. They can break your spirit if you’re not prepared. Poles has handled it better than anybody could’ve expected. One person who isn’t surprised by this is Terry Koziol. The former Chiefs director of college scouting and new Bears co-director of player personnel has known Poles since their days at Boston College together.
One thing that always stood out about the future GM? Nothing rattles him.
“I mean as an offensive lineman, that’s what you look for,” Koziol said. “You can’t get too up or down, you have to be very cerebral in your play, and very technique oriented. And I think that was always the case with him. But I always remember in the room because we were living with sometimes four guys, sometimes six guys, sometimes eight guys, where people would be running around or yelling at each other, doing all this stuff, and you just see Poles taking it in and never really getting too rattled.
“I’ve been trying to get under his skin for the last 20 years and it’s hard to do. I think you see it with him as a father, husband, as well as a boss and teammate. That’s something that you really appreciate, you’re always gonna get that calming demeanor.”
Ryan Poles will need that steadiness a few months from now.
The 2023 off-season will represent a golden opportunity. Not only does Poles have $100 million in salary cap space coming his way, but he will also likely possess a top five pick in the draft. He has a legitimate chance to jumpstart the organization if he can make the right decisions. Previous Bears GMs have had such opportunities. Ryan Pace took Mitch Trubisky 3rd overall in 2017. Jerry Angelo took Cedric Benson 4th overall in 2005. Mark Hatley took Curtis Enis 5th overall in 1998. This isn’t even counting 2003, when Angelo traded down from 4th overall to secure the 14th and 22nd picks. Those led to Michael Haynes and Rex Grossman.
If people are looking for reasons why this organization hasn’t won consistently for the past three decades, start with those high-profile whiffs. Ryan Poles wants to build through the draft. He thinks that is essential to long-term success. Well, he has to hit on his highest picks to make that a reality. The pressure next April will be intense. So many voices will be in his ear about what to do and what not to do. Everybody seems confident he has the necessary ability to tune out the noise and keep a steady head.
All hail to TG… The Ryan Pace Lover Boy… The GM who ruined our draft capitol, bankrupted our cap dollars, and had to draft 2 QB’s within a 4 year span but somehow you believe that’s a great job ? Newsbreak: Trubisky (wasted pick) is a backup. Please take your meds and stay out the comment section.
He will have a long leash since the QB position is set. I have respect for the coaching staff for what they have done with what they have. It’s on the GM now. I don’t see him drafting a receiver after the Claypool trade. That would be admitting a mistake. He has to draft all defense and hope Fields can still be Superman.
Come on Wes. Poles knows good talent when he sees it? When? His first pick was Gordon not Brisker. He went after Pringle and Patrick. I hope he does great but I haven’t seen much yet.
Ryan Poles has shown he knows good talent when he sees it. He also knows what he’s looking for. In the last draft when they had only a few draft choices because Ryan Pace had traded away their first-round pick and others. Poles traded away some and got more. He made the most out of that draft and I’m feeling good about the upcoming one with him at the wheel.
I was wrong about TG. Here I thought he was a Packer fan but he’s actually a relative of Ryan Pace and so he’s now an Atlanta fan. He keeps trying to change history and give Pace credit as though all of his stupid moves were actually smart. News flash: Pace got fired for ineptitude. He kept trading away the future for crappy players like Floyd, Shaheen, Miller, etc. and trying to save his job. He left an absolute mess that will take 3 years to straighten out. Poles has the discipline to fix it but now, because of Pace,… Read more »