Ryan Poles knew his job was never going to be easy. Challenges never scare him. If they had, he never would’ve gotten into this line of work. Turning the Chicago Bears into a contender will take time. Things haven’t gone as hoped thus far with the failures to sign Larry Ogunjobi and Ryan Bates, but that has not deterred the 36-year old. According to those around him, his confidence and determination remain unshakable.
Nowhere has the criticism from Bears fans come on stronger than the wide receiver position. Justin Fields can’t be expected to improve in 2022 without a viable array of weapons. In their minds, what the team has provided him is far from adequate. Darnell Mooney is fine, but outside of him is nothing but questions. Byron Pringle was the third option at best in Kansas City. Equanimeous St. Brown was little more than a special teams guy in Green Bay.
That’s it outside of the still-present Dazz Newsome.
Fans aren’t impressed. They feel Poles is way too conservative and also don’t think he’ll be able to do anything to fix the issue in the upcoming draft. That is where the GM decided to make his stand. Courtney Cronin of ESPN and other Bears media members spoke with Poles down in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the NFL owners meetings. There he offered a decisive rebuttal to the argument that there is no longer hope of improving at receiver.
“It’s funny, because there’s a lot of panic, like, ‘You need receivers,’” said Poles, who will have two second-round draft picks in the draft, which starts with Round 1 on April 28. “I think Davante [Adams] was taken in the second, right? So there’s talent there.
“It’s not always going to be like that, I get it. And we’re going to be patient. If it’s not there, we’re not going to do it and force it, either.”
This is true. Superstar receiver Davante Adams was selected 53rd overall in the 2014 draft. In fact, Poles’ argument gains further strength upon doing more research. Here is a shortlist of receivers taken between 39th overall (the Bears’ top pick) and 64th overall (the end of the 2nd round) over the past decade.
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- Michael Thomas
- Jarvis Landry
- DK Metcalf
- Robert Woods
- A.J. Brown
- Alshon Jeffery
- Allen Robinson
- Tyler Boyd
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Courtland Sutton
- D.J. Chark
Ryan Poles is correct in his assessment
Finding wide receivers is easier these days than it has ever been. Football has become more pass-oriented than ever before thanks to the ascent of the quarterback position in importance. Quarterbacks require wide receivers, and thus the high school and college levels have placed greater emphasis on loading the position with the best athletes. As a result, teams can often find good options even outside the 1st round.
If anybody knows this, it’s Ryan Poles. The Kansas City Chiefs found eventual All-Pro Tyreek Hill in the 5th round. They also selected Mecole Hardman in the 2nd. So the Bears GM has plenty of confidence he can find somebody capable in this upcoming draft. Especially with the team well-positioned towards the top of every round. It comes down to patience and good evaluations.
Two things he believes he has.
All he’s asking Bears fans to do is sit back and trust the process. Not something that is easy for them after over three decades without a championship. Most of that time was spent having to watch offenses that wouldn’t be successful at a high school level. They’re tired of assurances. They demand results. Poles aims to provide them, but he will not make short-sighted decisions along the way.
