Former Packers Exec Admits Ryan Poles Is Doing It Right With Bears

Ryan Poles had some tough decisions to make when he took over as Chicago Bears GM. Either he tried to rebuild on the fly with the roster he had, or he unloaded the big contract and older veterans in favor of stockpiling future assets. The former might give him a chance to win right away, but the latter offered the hope of building a consistent winner down the line. Poles recognized that the Bears’ primary issue in years past was an inability to sustain success. They’d get a burst of one or two years of winning and then go cold. A big part of that was their inability to draft consistently well and relying too much on free agency.

Poles chose to clean house. Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, and Roquan Smith were all traded. Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, and Allen Robinson were either cut or allowed to hit free agency. These moves allowed the Bears to stockpile over $100 million in salary cap space for 2023. They also have eight draft picks. One person that has begrudging admiration for this approach is Andrew Brandt. A former executive of the Green Bay Packers during most of the 2000s, he helped set the table for their eventual Super Bowl title in 2010. He sees what Poles is doing and believes it can yield big results with patience.

In MLB terms—where there is no cap and no minimum spending threshold—the Bears are “accumulating prospects.” In NBA terms, the Bears remind me of the “Trust the Process” 76ers from a few years ago: sacrificing present results for the sake of future success. I was a neighbor of the architect of those Sixers teams, Sam Hinkie, and I remember him telling me, “Andrew, there’s no reward in mediocrity.”

Even at 3–7, the Bears have a scintillating young quarterback in Justin Fields and are getting good value from their roster with the league’s lowest payroll.

Ryan Poles’ plan follows the same blueprint.

People criticized Hinkie during his tenure, but time has proven him wise. His efforts to keep Philadelphia near the top of every NBA draft eventually yielded superstar center Joel Embiid, a now 5-time All-Star. His ascent has led the 76ers to make the playoffs each of the past five seasons. It’s unfortunate the organization didn’t let Hinkie see the process through. He resigned after the 2015-2016 season. His failure was he didn’t turn the team around fast enough. Poles hopes to follow that blueprint with a more urgent timetable.

He’s already on the right trade. The Bears lack talent in critical areas, thanks to his trades and other moves. That has led to them going 3-7 thus far. They’re projected to pick 6th in the upcoming 2023 draft. Their schedule also gets harder after Sunday, with the Jets, Packers, Bills, and Eagles up next. It won’t be a surprise if they end up with a top five pick when the dust settles. That will give Ryan Poles a golden opportunity to land a true difference-maker. His own football version of Embiid.