When trying to understand the mentality of a GM, it is often wise to look at his background. When it comes to Ryan Poles, everything he is as a scout and executive was born with the Kansas City Chiefs. During his decade-long service with that organization, he served under three different generals managers. It becomes much easier to understand why the new Chicago Bears leading man hasn’t made any splashes in free agency when evaluating how they operated.
It started in 2009 when Scott Pioli hired Poles as a scout. It was his first year as Chiefs GM. The team had a healthy $35 million in salary cap space. Given the ugly state of the roster, most expected them to do some considerable spending. That ended up not being the case. The only notable move Pioli made was trading a 2nd round pick to New England for quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel.
The silence drew a lot of criticism.
“The Chiefs have been quieter in free agency than expected given their massive salary-cap room. The Chiefs have made the biggest noise in the form of a trade with new general manager Scott Pioli’s former team, New England. The trade netted Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel for a second-round pick.”
Pioli added just a few notable veterans, including Mike Brown (yes, that one) and Thomas Jones. He made it clear he wanted to build the Chiefs through the draft. A year later, they scored future All-Pro safety Eric Berry in the 1st round, and the coaches managed to develop other key players, including Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles. The team made the playoffs. Fast forward to 2013, and John Dorsey took over.
His approach was much the same. Like Pioli, he had lots of cap space and a need at quarterback. Also, like Pioli, he traded for that quarterback (Alex Smith) and only signed four players with contracts beyond one year. Even then, just one of them got significant money. Cornerback Sean Smith signed a three-year deal for $18 million. Modest cash considering the highest-paid corner that year made $16 million in 2013 alone.
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Ryan Poles is how he is because he was raised that way
He came up through the ranks as a college scout. He worked under general managers that viewed free agency with wariness during that time. They were committed to finding success in the draft. In their minds, it was the most surefire way to establish a consistent winner. Pioli learned that in New England. Dorsey learned that in Green Bay, and Brett Veach learned that in Philadelphia. The only time to be aggressive in free agency is when the foundation is established, and all you need are two or three more key pieces.
The Bears aren’t close to that point, and Ryan Poles knows it. Spending big on free agents right now would be equivalent to throwing rocks into a flooding river.
Completely pointless and a waste of energy.
He has to rebuild this roster the right way. Young, fast, and athletic players must make up the core. The quarterback position must be situated. All these dreams of competing for a Super Bowl will be put on hold until that is done. Tons of work is left to do. The process has only begun.
