The Chicago Bears haven’t been overly aggressive in free agency this year. They’ve added several players, but none of them can be called a true splash signing. Kevin Byard will fill their void at free safety. D’Andre Swift should get plenty of carries at running back. Coleman Shelton is the early favorite to start at center. While none of these are bad additions, the lack of star power has fans nervous. This is the third year of a rebuild. Usually, teams start getting more aggressive in their efforts to improve around this time. GM Ryan Poles hasn’t done that.
He said from the moment he arrived in 2022 that he intends to build through the draft. While an admirable idea, many people wonder how he plans to do that this year. Chicago only has five picks remaining after the Montez Sweat and Ryan Bates trades over the past few months. Granted, two of those picks are in the top 10, but the Bears still have a lot of depth concerns. It’s more than what five picks can probably address.
This might make most people nervous. Not Poles. That is because he’s been here before.
Ryan Poles already understands how to gain flexibility.
People forget that he only had five picks when he entered his first off-season as Bears GM. That included no 1st rounder. Rather than accept this reality, Poles set about changing it. He started by trading Khalil Mack to Los Angeles for 2nd and 6th round picks. Then he pulled off something wild on day three of the draft. He traded down three separate times in the 5th round, netting three additional picks. For good measure, he did it again in the 6th round for another. By the time the dust had settled, the Bears had gone from five picks to 11.
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If he could get that much from simply moving down in the 5th round, imagine what he might accomplish with two 1st rounders, a 3rd rounder, and two 4th rounders. Also, don’t forget he will likely get at least one pick by trading Justin Fields at some point. Ryan Poles has way more flexibility than people think. We already know he isn’t afraid to move down in the draft for extra picks. It feels almost like a foregone conclusion it will happen this year. The only question is when. Not if.
The hard part for Bears fans is waiting to see what he does.
