A lot of people aren’t happy with Ryan Poles right now. Here is a new GM trying to rebuild an aging roster while inheriting a young quarterback in Justin Fields. One would think the Chicago Bears should feel more urgency in free agency. Thus far, that hasn’t been the case. While the team has made a number of signings, none of them can be called needle-movers. They’ve been little more than one or two-year deals for younger players that were backups or part-time starters elsewhere.
The Bears’ one big swing was for Larry Ogunjobi, which fell through due to a failed physical. Since then, Poles has operated with remarkable patience. Some would call it overly cautious. The team can’t wait forever with 40 roster spots still left to fill. There is no way this approach can work. However, that isn’t necessarily the case. There is evidence to suggest that waiting out the market can benefit teams in a big way.
Last year alone offers proof of that.
- April 13th, 2021 – Cardinals sign James Connor to 1-year, $1.75 million deal
- April 14th, 2021 – Browns sign Jadeveon Clowney to 1-year, $10 million deal
- April 14th, 2021 – Cowboys sign Keanu Neal to 1-year, $4 million deal
- April 15th, 2021 – Falcons sign Cordarrelle Patterson to 1-year, $3 million deal
- May 5th, 2021 – Raiders sign Casey Heyward to 1-year, $4 million deal
All of those moves were made well after the first and second waves of free agency had passed. Connor scored 18 touchdowns in Arizona and made the Pro Bowl. Clowney had nine sacks and 32 pressures in 14 games for Cleveland. Patterson racked up over 1100 offensive yards and 11 touchdowns in Atlanta. Heyward was the best cover-corner Las Vegas had last season. Each of those players was purchased for pennies.
The Bears have become a prominent destination by leaving themselves lots of spending money and plenty of open roster spots. Maybe not for premier free agents but for talented players that didn’t get the deals they felt they deserved.
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What a snag from Jamison Crowder! 😱pic.twitter.com/mcrmH9i0Hg
— PFF (@PFF) October 2, 2020
Tavon Young will be missed in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/53pOGvehV3
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) March 10, 2022
Ryan Poles still has plenty of options out there too
Everybody thinks the best players are long gone and nobody left exists to make meaningful contributions. That is just not the case. Several big names remain out there. Some might even come at a discount due to their inability to land a more lucrative contract. If the Bears are smart with their approach, landing two or three of them wouldn’t be too difficult.
- Terron Armstead
- La’El Collins
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Jarvis Landry
- J.C. Tretter
- Jamison Crowder
- Tavon Young
- Jarran Reed
- Steven Nelson
Not a terrible list of options.
Ryan Poles has no reason to feel rushed. He knows the Bears aren’t going to contend this year. The roster has too many holes and not enough resources to fill them all. His job must be about securing future cap space while adding younger free agents who might be able to grow within their culture. If he scores a few hits, all the better. Then in 2023, when he has a full deck of cards, he can be more aggressive. It comes down to trusting his patient approach will yield results.
