One of the bigger concerns for Chicago Bears fans going into this month was the uncertainty around GM Ryan Poles. His first head coach had failed spectacularly, and word came out a few weeks ago that he’d signed a four-year contract, meaning he was going into 2025 on the last year of his deal. The fear became that no top head coach candidate would want to work with him because they knew there was a chance he could immediately be out next year, leaving them in the lurch.
However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune gave an update that changed things. He explained on 670 The Score that Poles is believed to be under contract through 2026. That means he has two years left on his deal, not one. While he isn’t in direct alignment with new head coach Ben Johnson, it offers more of a cushion for the two to forge a partnership without fear of an immediate change if things don’t go well immediately.
Ryan Poles will be able to prove he has learned from his mistakes.
Sometimes, young general managers must suffer some early failure before getting on track. That was true of Jerry Angelo. His first three 1st round picks were all flops. Marc Colombo couldn’t stay healthy. Michael Haynes was a bust. Rex Grossman never reached his potential. There were also the ill-advised signings of Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart in free agency. Still, he eventually got better at finding good players, eventually getting the Bears to a Super Bowl in 2006.
The good news is Ryan Poles seems to have done better than Angelo in the 1st round. Darnell Wright, Caleb Williams, and Rome Odunze all look like good players. The trick is improving his hit rate with fewer outright whiffs. There is a belief he’s planning an adjustment in scouting strategy, wanting to focus more on established players and less on upside projects. No doubt Johnson will play a prominent role in this. If things go well, Poles can expect an extension in the near future.
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His “hit” rate will almost automatically go up with a head coach who believes in coaching. But we’ll have to see about Johnson’s development rate.
Yep arnie…it’s going to be fun watching gena and sally spontaneous combust.
Ryan Poles made a prudent move trading the pick that the Eagles made Jalen Carter — and the Bears netted Darnell Wright and Tory Taylor, in that deal.
But Jalen Carter is still a 2024 NFL All-Pro DT (2nd Team).
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And, didn’t Mel like Jayden Daniels an awful lot in last year’s draft?
Just sayin’.
Does it really matter? It’s Ben’s team now. Poles will get the players he’s told to get, and that’s a good thing. It’s def a lot better than Poles making decisions 🙂.
While Jalen Carter has developed into a very good player, I think Poles made the right move passing on him. The dude was drag racing after Georgia won the collegiate national championship, and two people that were racing with him died. There was talk of legal complications, which he managed to dodge. This happened not too long after talented Raiders rookie WR Henry Riggs killing a woman while driving around 150 mph. Riggs is now in jail for a long time. On the Eagles, there were established defensive players, many from Georgia (where Carter went) who could keep him in… Read more »