Ryan Poles said from the start that he would be selective in free agency. In other words, he wasn’t going to focus on making big splashes. In his mind, that isn’t the way to build a successful football team. Most of the time, free agency is teams spending A-grade money on mostly B-grade players. That is why the Chicago Bears rarely succeed when using it to help their roster. The more intelligent thing to do is wait the market out and find deals that are favorable to the team.
It took some time, but Poles’ approach is starting to bear fruit. Not only did the team snag a new starting nickel cornerback in Tavon Young, but they also added one of the best special teams players available in Matthew Adams. If people struggled to understand why this approach is working, here is a breakdown of the numbers. Wide receiver Christian Kirk, fresh off a season in Arizona with 982 yards, secured a contract worth $18 million per year from Jacksonville. Check out what the Bears got for relatively the same price.
Christian Kirk: Signed for $18 million per year
- Lucas Patrick – $4 million per year
- Byron Pringle – $4.125 million per year
- Tavon Young – $1.365 million per year
- Justin Jones – $6 million per year
While the Jaguars got themselves a solid wide receiver, Chicago got a starting center, a start cornerback, a rotational defensive tackle, and a receiver who scored the same number of TDs Kirk did despite 43 fewer targets. Think of it this way. What are the odds that Kirk brings greater value to the Jaguars than the combination of Patrick, Pringle, Young, and Jones will to the Bears?
One player outperforming four seems like a tall order in most cases. Kirk is good, but he is not Davante Adams or Ja’Marr Chase. Poles believed he could get more bang for his buck by spreading the cash around. Barring a catastrophic streak of luck, he will be proven correct.
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Ryan Poles improved his roster while maintaining flexibility.
That is the key here. None of the deals the Bears have made up to this point have locked them into long-term commitments. Even the large contract they offered Larry Ogunjobi before it fell through was for three years. It is apparent that Poles wants to keep his future salary cap options as open as possible. This way, if he ever does want to make a splash, he can do so when the timing is much more favorable.
The Bears still have $14.7 million in cap space available as writing this. More than enough to make more moves in the coming weeks. If a notable player becomes available by some chance, Ryan Poles will be able to pounce. All the while, he seems focused on the upcoming NFL draft. Signs point to the new GM being active to acquire more picks.
No doubt a way to further his original plan to build through the draft.
This should serve as a reminder that he has a plan and seems to be executing it well. Sure there have been some setbacks, but Poles hasn’t deviated from his approach. The fact it is helping the roster come together, albeit slowly, is a good sign.
