It is almost impossible to gauge where the head of a GM and his scouts are during the early stages of a draft evaluation process. However, their in-game attendance can always tell the story. Last year, it was obvious Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears were gravitating towards quarterbacks and wide receivers. This year, it started out with offensive linemen and pass rushers. One would think that the process would continue in that direction. To a degree, it has, but there has been a noticeable shift in the past week.
Two reports surfaced of Bears representatives appearing at games. After close examination, one thing became clear: Offensive line and pass rushers weren’t the focus. Instead, another position stood out—one that didn’t look like a need at first but might become one next year.
Safety.
Ryan Poles sees an unfortunate development happening.
Safety wasn’t a concern for the Bears at the start of October. Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker looked like a solid pairing. That has changed. Brisker suffered a concussion on October 6th. He still hasn’t returned from it. When a player takes over a month to recover from that type of injury, an organization must consider steps for life after him. Remember that Brisker has a contract situation coming up next season. It will be the last year of his rookie deal. Unless Ryan Poles is willing to gamble on extending him, the smart thing to do would be to find insurance in the 2025 draft.
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The two names they are watching are Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman Jr. and Michigan’s Rod Moore. Bowman is considered a high 2nd round prospect and could jump into the 1st with a strong year. Moore was a key part of the Wolverines’ national championship run last season. Both could be really good in the NFL. It comes down to if Ryan Poles and the Bears think they can fit well in this defense.
Damn, TGena. Well said. I damn sure was hoping and wishing for a haul and taking Jayden Daniels.
Caleb Williams looks just like he did against Notre Dame, scared and clueless. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels is looking like a Rockstar that took the SEC by storm in his Heisman year with a repeat of last year.
Maybe CW18 will turn it on after his 3rd team like Baker Mayfield has. Jayden Daniels will remain the Washington Commanders generational talent, for at least 10 years with several more achievements and wins than Caleb Williams.
@Dr. Melhus — Again, I understand that you believe Ryan Poles is the Bears “best GM since Jim Finks.” But even if that were true — should Bears fans (knowledgeable or otherwise) be enthused over a 14-28 won-lost record, under Ryan Poles — particularly when he had the overall first pick in back to back NFL Drafts — and he could have massaged the 2024 NFL Draft to receive another haul and still have his choice of any of the top three generational QBs? …but didn’t! ____________ That .333 winning percentage is closing in on HC, Abe Gibron’s record of… Read more »
The reason we haven’t had a good GM since Finks is because the McCaskeys are inept. Same reason we’ve had crappy or one-dimensional coaches. That ineptitude doesn’t make Poles the gold standard or even good. He’s improved some areas, and from where this stripped down team was a couple years ago it would be hard not to with two #1 overall picks to play with. But he’s done a terrible job building an OL, which should be the top priority when you draft a franchise QB.
First and foremost ya gotta protect that once-in-a-generation QB. Through free agency, the draft or trade, we need a center to anchor the line and a quality guard .
And I should remind y’all, Poles’s job is to do due diligence on all potential draftees. He needs to know the complete landscape to navigate the draft effectively. He even needs to know how good the QBs are, even if he has no plans to draft one, because other teams will, and he needs to know how to accurately evaluate them if he wants to trade with another team. So looking at a few top safeties doesn’t mean he will ignore the OL or DL in the next draft. It just means that he’s doing his job. Just because the… Read more »