How Chicago GM Ryan Poles Broke the Bears
Here are 10 Poles moves that help explain how we got here.
ON JANUARY 22, 2022, the Chicago Bears hired Ryan Poles to replace Ryan Pace as the team’s General Manager.
At the time, it made sense.
Poles had climbed the Kansas City front office ladder, landing a gig as the Chiefs’ Executive Director of Player Personnel. During his stretch in K.C., he apparently played a role in drafting and grooming Patrick Mahomes.
On paper, that all sounded like good stuff, but there were plenty of other reasons why Poles was an appealing candidate: He was young (36), he was former player (O-lineman at Boston College, spent time on the Bears practice squad), and he showed well (serious-minded, gave good press conference). It seemed like a solid get.
During his almost-three-year tenure, Poles has de-ceeded all expectations.
Under his watch, the Bears have won 14 of their 46 games, they’re currently on their fourth offensive coordinator, and two assistant coaches were let go due to issues that had to be handled by Chicago’s human resources department.
Bad stuff.
Much to my credit, I’ve been mean-tweeting about Poles’ shoddy work since the beginning:
So I’m an O.G. Poles-trasher. Yay me.
THE QUESTION IS NOW, why are we here?
Why are we staring down the barrel of a four-win season?
Why will we again have a top-ten draft pick?
Why are we looking at a third consecutive last-place NFC North finish?
Simple: Poles is terrible at his job.
Sure, he got one deal right, that being the March 10, 2023 trade with Carolina that ultimately netted Chicago, among other goodies, Caleb Williams, D.J. Moore, and Rome Odunze.
But did he really get it right?
Since the trade, the Bears have put up a record of 11-19. If Williams is as generational as many believe — or even if he makes the next three seasons watchable and/or competitive — then sure, it becomes a solid transaction. Right now, though, it’s just a deal. Not bad. Not good. Just…a deal.
Regardless of how you feel about the trade, you have to acknowledge that Poles’ bads have outweighed his goods.
Like, by a lot.
Here are ten of Ryan’s biggest missteps, a throng of decisions that helped set the team back goodness-know-how-many seasons:
Talking Smack During His First Press Conference
WHAT HAPPENED: At his introductory press conference, Poles told the assembled media:
"We're gonna build through the draft. We're gonna acquire young, fast and physical football players," Poles said. "We're going to be selective in free agency, and we're going to connect evaluation with valuation. We're gonna have a relentless approach to fix our weakness. We're gonna maintain great self-awareness of who we are. We're gonna solve problems with open communication and candor, and we're gonna consistently put players in position to succeed. And the last thing, the most important piece is we're gonna take the North and never give it back.”
THE RESULT: Many, many years ago, an old roommate of mine — who was a diehard New York Knicks fan — liked to rag on my Chicago Bulls whenever Patrick Ewing et al pushed Michael Jordan et al deep into a playoff series. Thing is, the Knicks never knocked the M.J.-era Bulls out of the postseason, so after every New York flameout, he’d say something along the lines of, “I shouldn’t gloat before my team does anything real.”
It’s possible — just possible — that Ryan Poles has learned this lesson.
His “never give it back” screed now looks super-foolish, especially considering that all three of Chicago’s division rivals have legitimately bright, potentially dominant futures. The Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers sport rosters with average ages of, respectively, 25.5 and 25.7, while the Bears sit at 27.2. (The Minnesota Vikings have the North’s oldest roster at 27.5, but they’re making it work.)
The Lions and the Packers are both Super Bowl contenders. Along with the Steelers, the Vikings are considered to be one of the league’s niftier surprises.
The Bears, on the other hand, are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak that will likely extend to 11 before the season comes to a merciful end.
So to reiterate: Don’t gloat until you have something to gloat about.
Hiring Matt Eberflus
WHAT HAPPENED: On January 22, 2022, the Bears chose former Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus to replace Matt Nagy as their Head Coach.
THE RESULT: Poles’ first job after his hire was, naturally, to find the right sideline general. Thing is, the coaching search was already underway before Poles inked his contract, and Bears ownership — as well as a search committee headed by old-school football guru Bill Polian — were leaning towards Eberflus.
That said, Poles was said to have complete autonomy in the choice, so he and/or the search committee interviewed a flock of qualified candidates:
Doug Pederson (Former Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach) – Interviewed on January 12, 2022.
Brian Flores (Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach) – Interviewed on January 14, 2022.
Nathaniel Hackett (Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 15, 2022.
Jim Caldwell (Former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions Head Coach) – Interviewed on January 15, 2022.
Brian Daboll (Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 16, 2022.
Matt Eberflus (Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 17, 2022.
Byron Leftwich (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 20, 2022.
Leslie Frazier (Buffalo Bills Defensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 21, 2022.
Dan Quinn (Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 22, 2022.
Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator) – Interviewed on January 22, 2022.
Did Flus get the gig because ownership forced him onto Poles? Or did Poles decide, “That Dan Quinn won’t get the job done”? Unfortunately for the franchise’s present and future, the answer was B.
To his credit, Poles owned the choice, But not to his credit, it was very much the wrong call.
Trading Khalil Mack
WHAT HAPPENED: On March 16, 2022, the Bears sent future Hall of Fame linebacker Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for draft picks that turned into Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, and Trenton Gill.
THE RESULT: Poles was tasked with blowing up the roster — a logical decision, considering his predecessor left him with an untenable batch of players and a jacked-up salary cap — so one would assume that getting rid of high-priced veterans was part of the mandate.
Thing is, Mack isn’t your typical high-priced veteran.
During his Chargers stint, Mack has sacked opposing quarterbacks 30 times. In that stretch, the Bears as a team have managed just 81 sacks. Watching the Bears’ run D get shredded on a weekly basis, it’s obvious that it might’ve been nice to have Mack around.
Sure, Brisker is a decent enough starting DB and Hicks is an effective back-up DB, but Gill was a punting bust, who was ultimately replaced this summer by fourth-round pick Tory Taylor. (Might’ve been nice to have been able to use that pick for a trench guy.)
Mack currently anchors a defense that allows an average of 15.9 points a game, the best in the NFL, while Chicago sits in the middle of the pack with 21.4.
Oops.
Drafting Velus Jones Jr.
WHAT HAPPENED: On April 29, 2022, the Chicago Bears selected Velus Jones Jr. with the 71st pick of the NFL Draft.
THE RESULT: I saw this clusterfuck coming a mile away:
Poles chose Jones over Jalen Tolbert, Calvin Austin III, Romeo Doubs, Khalil Shakir, and Jalen Nailor, all of whom are quality contributors. Not only that, but he had a chance to grab George Pickens and Alec Pierce in the second round, but opted to grab Kyler Gordon, a decent enough DB, but not a potential perennial Pro Bowler like Pickens.
After a career marred with dropped passes and muffed punt returns, Jones was waived on October 25, 2024. This season, Pickens has accumulated 850 receiving yards, 15th most in the league.
Trading For Chase Claypool
WHAT HAPPENED: On November 1, 2022, the Bears sent their 2023 second round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Chase Claypool. The Steelers used the pick to select Joey Porter Jr.
THE RESULT: Claypool wasn’t just the biggest bust of the Poles era, but one of the most colossal personnel screwups in franchise history.
Not only was he a non-factor on the field, but he was a distraction off of it. Here’s what ChatGPT spewed out in answer to the query, “What kind of crappy things did Chase Claypool do when he was a member of the Chicago Bears?"
Effort and Performance Concerns: In Week 1 of the 2023 season against the Green Bay Packers, Claypool faced significant criticism for a perceived lack of effort, particularly in blocking assignments. This led to discussions within the team about his commitment and role.
Criticism of Coaching Staff: Following the Week 1 loss, Claypool publicly expressed dissatisfaction with how the Bears' coaching staff utilized him, suggesting he wasn't being put in the best position to succeed. These comments raised concerns about his alignment with the team's direction.
Disciplinary Actions: Due to ongoing concerns about his effort and attitude, the Bears made Claypool inactive for Week 4 and requested he stay away from the team facility. This decision indicated a significant breakdown in the relationship between Claypool and the organization.
For his part, Porter has been a mainstay of the Steelers D, starting all 30 games of his career, racking up 99 tackles in the process.
It should also be noted that Poles could have used the 33rd pick to select Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, Jayden Reed, Keeanu Benton…I could go on.
Not Drafting Jalen Carter
WHAT HAPPENED: On April 27, 2023, Poles sent the Bears’ first round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the Eagles’ first and fourth round picks. Philly selected DL Jalen Carter at the nine-spot, while the Bears chose OL Darnell Wright at ten.
THE RESULT: With 10.5 sacks and 41 solo tackles to his name, Carter is on his way to becoming a guaranteed All-Pro, and plays a key role with a Philly D that allows the fewest yards in the league.
Wright has a PFF blocking grade of 74.7, which ranks him 31st in the NFL — a decent enough number, but not what you’d hope for out of a dude picked at ten. More egregiously, Poles passed on Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, and, y’know, Joey Porter Jr.
Breaking the Bank for Montez Sweat
WHAT HAPPENED: On November 4, 2023 — five days after acquiring him from Washington — the Bears signed defensive end Montez Sweat to a four-year, $98 million contract extension. The total value of the deal is $105 million, with $72.9 million guaranteed.
THE RESULT: On paper, this wasn’t a bad move: Sweat was 27; when he was acquired, he became the Bears’ 2023 sack leader; and the 2024 free agent market for EDGE rushers was thin, thin, thin. Wrapping him up to a long-term deal seemed to make sense.
Problem is, we might be looking at a situation where once the guy got paid, he took his foot off of the gas.
This season, Sweat has managed just 4.5 sacks and 23 tackles, while the Bears have allowed 1,752 rushing yards, the seventh-most in the league, not a great look for a high-ticket player.
Poles couldn’t have predicted Sweat’s decline — truth be told, none of us saw it coming — but it happened under his watch. So it’s his fault.
Signing Nate Davis
WHAT HAPPENED: On March 15, 2023, Poles signed the OL to a three-year, $30 million deal, $19.25 million of which was guaranteed.
THE RESULT: Poles had nice run at Boston College as a tackle, so you’d think that he could easily spot a quality O-lineman.
You’d think wrong.
Davis, who was coming off of a solid-but-unspectacular four-season run in Tennessee, made just 13 starts for Chicago. When the Bears cut him on November 13, 2024, PFF had him ranked as the league’s 25th worst guard.
Poles would’ve been better off starting a bonfire with that $19.25 mil, amirite?
Drafting Rome Odunze
WHAT HAPPENED: On April 25, 2024, the Bears selected Odunze with the ninth pick of the NFL Draft.
THE RESULT: I love Rome Odunze, and you love Rome Odunze, but hear me out.
The 2024 NFL Draft was loaded with quality pass-catchers, just loaded. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers were selected before Odunze — and justifiably so — but here are some of the options chosen after Rome:
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia – 1st Round, 13th Overall (Las Vegas Raiders)
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas – 1st Round, 14th Overall (New England Patriots)
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State – 1st Round, 17th Overall (Green Bay Packers)
Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia – 1st Round, 23rd Overall (Minnesota Vikings)
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU – 1st Round, 25th Overall (Buffalo Bills)
Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa – 3rd Round, 89th Overall (Philadelphia Eagles)
Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina – 3rd Round, 92nd Overall (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
And here’s how the 2024 rookie pass catchers rank, yardage-wise:
There’s Odunze sitting at six. Not bad. Not awesome. But not bad.
A creative GM could’ve have looked at the Draft board and his roster and thought, “Hunh, Odunze’s good, but is there really that much separation between him and Thomas? Or McCoknkey? Or Coleman?” And then he would’ve thought, “If I trade down, I can get Bowers along with a day two pick to fill one of the many holes in our trenches.”
You can blame bad game plans on Odunze’s just-okay season. Or you can blame the fact that he’s working with a rookie quarterback who’s learning on the job. Or you can even blame Odunze himself.
But you should blame Ryan Poles.
(FWIW, I was stumping for Bowers in March.)
Not Firing Matt Eberflus Sooner
WHAT HAPPENED: On November 29, 2024, the Bears relieved Eberflus of his duties. He was replaced on an interim basis by Thomas Brown.
THE RESULT: In his first two Chicago seasons, Eberflus racked up a record of 10-24. The team had a strong finish in 2023, winning four of their final six games, which compelled Poles to keep Flus on the staff for another season.
Poles’ decision compelled me to tweet…
Poles hasn’t died on that hill yet, but if Chicago loses its final four games — three of which are against division rivals — he might not get the chance to finish the job of destroying the Bears franchise.