A common mistake in May by fans and media is presuming a roster is complete. The Chicago Bears aren’t done adding new faces. That much is obvious. GM Ryan Poles proved that last year when he added half a dozen players via waiver wire claims. That was without holding the top position on the priority list. Thanks to their league-worst record last season, the Bears have first dibs on anybody hitting the wire for the next several months. Not only will Poles take advantage of that, but it’s reasonable to believe he will find great value.
While the Bears found a few decent backups and special teams contributors on the wire last year, their biggest discovery was Josh Blackwell. An undrafted cornerback out of Duke, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the draft last year. While he made it to the final round of cuts, he couldn’t crack the roster. Poles, aided by assistant GM Ian Cunningham, scooped the young man up. He led the team in special teams tackles with nine and became a solid backup nickel corner toward the end of the season.
Ryan Poles has plenty of work still to do.
Several position groups could use more attention. The top need for this team is obviously edge rusher. They didn’t add anybody of significance in free agency or the draft. In the absence of a big name, they can at least improve the depth. There is also tight end. Chicago doesn’t have anybody beyond Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan. Guard has question marks after Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins. There is also the neverending need to fortify the bottom of the depth chart with special teams options.
The NFL is a predictable entity in one sense. Teams will inevitably cut players that shouldn’t be cut. Good players get released more often than anybody wants to admit. Ryan Poles knows this. The Kansas City Chiefs proved this for years during his time there. He’s already shown an ability to find talent on the wire. Now he holds ultimate power over every other team. If somebody else decides to release a player they shouldn’t, you can bet the Bears will be ready to pounce.
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