Ryan Poles has drafted nine players from the Senior Bowl over his first three seasons in charge of the Chicago Bears. He values the event as a way to identify quality talent, which is what led him to Darnell Wright and Tyrique Stevenson. It is reasonable to assume he’ll dip into that pool again for the 2025 draft. Beat writer Nicholas Moreano was down in Mobile, Alabama, for the event. After failing to spot the Bears GM on the first day, he popped up on the second. It didn’t take long to determine what Poles’ objective was.
Moreano noticed he and assistant GM Ian Cunningham spent almost all of their time watching the same drill over and over—the one-on-one matchups between the offensive and defensive linemen. The only deviation was when Poles slipped away to watch the running backs. That should pretty much tell you where the team’s priorities lay ahead of spring.
Ryan Poles doesn’t need a detailed plan of attack.
Anybody with common sense can see where the Bears need help. They were painfully weak at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they allowed 67 sacks on Caleb Williams while only ranking 25th in rushing. On defense, they were 28th against the run and got only 29 sacks from the defensive line. It is hard to win in the NFL when you can’t control the trenches. There is a reason teams like Philadelphia and Detroit dominated the NFC the past two seasons.
No doubt Ryan Poles knows he must attack this off-season with every resource available to fix both issues. He will have ample opportunities in both free agency and the draft. As to the running back diversion, new head coach Ben Johnson is a big proponent of the ground game. He didn’t seem to care much for D’Andre Swift when they worked together in Detroit. That makes almost a guarantee the Bears will seek help in the draft. It is a strong class this year. Poles has to make sure he knows which ones to target.
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This isn’t surprising as it relates to what areas of the team are most in need, it is surprising that Coach Johnson is not present. I really don’t trust Ryan Poles making decisions on players, I’d feel better about it if the Coach was there and was involved in this evaluation. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if we took Ashton Jeanty from Boise State, this guy seems to be a difference maker, I’d honestly prefer a starting Center and Gaurd to be obtained in Free Agency, I think O-Lineman that are rookies tend to struggle, we need experienced… Read more »
I hope, if he’s watching one on one line drills, that he is watching 7 positions, not one.
@Bears24 —
What difference does it make if Poles is paying attention?
He remains: “an inept judge of NFL talent, proficiency, heart and value.”
Haven’t any of you been paying attention? He’s 15-36 (.294).
If Ryan Poles is making the picks; the Bears are losing.
This is a good thing, games are won or lost in the trenches, it seems this general area has been the least of Poles attention since he started the rebuild. with the 65 million and probably five draft picks in the first three rounds he should be able to address that problem. Something else, its good he is getting input from Ian, but I would like to know what Johnsons doing. I can see where not having Eberflus in one of my ears would be a definite advantage. The more I think of this person, the more I cringe of… Read more »
@jmscooby — But that’s the “value” problem: with Poles. He doesn’t understand the concept of “talent, proficiency, heart and value.” “Trade anyone you want, Ryan Poles!.” You’re the GM. But if you wait until the very last minute, you can’t get true value. Montgomery, Jenkins, Herbert, JF1 all were capable of bringing value in return — if handled competently. Now is the time for: Kmet, DJ Moore, and… Who else? Virtually no one, under contract (possibly Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon). No team wants: Ryan Bates, D’Andre Swift, Tremaine Edmunds, Montez Sweat, Keenan Allen — at their current price. Ryan… Read more »