If it weren’t already obvious by now, the Chicago Bears aren’t doing anything halfway with their general manager search. After Joe Hortiz of the Baltimore Ravens became the 15th known candidate on Sunday, the 16th wasn’t far behind. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the team plans to meet with Kansas City Chiefs assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles. Not a huge surprise seeing how successful that organization has been.
Most people will jump to the Chiefs connection and immediately raise red flags because of the entire Matt Nagy affair. While understandable, it is important to remember Nagy was Ryan Pace’s hire. Also, there is a fun little subplot to this move. Poles was an undrafted free agent for the Bears in 2008, coming out of Boston College where he protected Matt Ryan. So he at least has some idea of what this organization has to offer.
The Bears have requested to interview Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles for their vacant GM job, per source.
There are 3 teams with a GM vacancy and all 3 of them are interviewing the 36-year old Poles.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 17, 2022
Poles also has some unique experience to draw on.
Once he dove into scouting in 2009, he ended up working under three different general managers in Scott Pioli, John Dorsey, and Brett Veach. All three come from significantly different backgrounds. Pioli came up in the New England Patriots system in the 2000s. Dorsey rose through the ranks with the Green Bay Packers during that same timespan. Veach got his start with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 before following Andy Reid to Kansas City.
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Getting to learn from three different philosophies was a great education for Poles and he’s put it to good use. In a span of less than a decade, he went from scouting assistant to assistant director of player personnel. His first big break came in 2010 when he got promoted to college scouting coordinator. From there, the Chiefs enjoyed some noteworthy draft success.
- Rodney Hudson
- Justin Houston
- Dontari Poe
- Eric Fisher
- Travis Kelce
- Dee Ford
- Marcus Peters
- Chris Jones
- Tyreek Hill
- Patrick Mahomes
- Creed Humphrey
- Trey Smith
The majority of those names played pivotal roles in the Chiefs’ 2019 Super Bowl win.
So it is no surprise the Chicago Bears decided to give him a look. It is clear he is a rising star in NFL scouting circles. Though only 36-years old, it seems like only a matter of time before he is running his own team. He came really close last year, becoming a finalist for the Carolina Panthers job before it went to Scott Fitterer. The Bears don’t want to make the mistake of overlooking him. What it will come down to is whether he can show them he’s ready.
