Ryan Poles waited a while before making his first big move as GM of the Chicago Bears. When he did, many people weren’t prepared for it. Trading Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers for 2nd and 6th round picks is not what anybody saw coming. Not after hearing for months that Mack and Robert Quinn would be a lethal combination in Matt Eberflus’ new 4-3 defense. Needless to say, plenty of people weren’t happy about it.
They felt it was a dumb move, both because of the limited return and because he intentionally weakened the one good thing about this team in the defense. Not everybody saw it that way, though. Joe Banner served as a top executive for three organizations from 1995 to 2015, helping Philadelphia and Atlanta eventually reach the Super Bowl. When asked about the Mack trade on the Rich Eisen Show, he praised Poles for having the courage to make a necessary move for the long-term health of the franchise.
Rest assured, this move did not make the Bears better in 2022.
It made them considerably worse. That said, the overall big picture matters to Ryan Poles. He isn’t going to continue paying an aging player superstar money just to try and keep the Bears a seven-win team at best. The best thing for the organization is to unload any bloated contracts they can, stockpile future cap space, and maybe secure some extra draft picks along the way. It might make the team less competitive now but could lead to a swift turnaround in 2023. Especially if Justin Fields takes a step forward.
Mack wasn’t the only casualty either. Tarik Cohen and Eddie Goldman also found themselves out of work shortly after his exit. Jeremiah Attaochu will likely follow as well. Poles seems intent on overhauling a roster that isn’t anywhere close to good enough in his eyes. If that requires some hard sacrifices, so be it.
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