The Chicago Bears haven’t been idle since the end of the proper 2024 off-season. GM Ryan Poles has decided to shake things up in his scouting department. Multiple established names, including Sam Summerville, who have been there for the past several years, have departed for new homes. What hasn’t been known is who will fill the several new voids they have in the department, particularly the area scout jobs. Neil Stratton of Inside The League provided an update. It starts with a promotion.
Ryan Weese was a Combine scout for the Bears last year. He will take over the Midwest region. That area was vacated by veteran Ryan Cavanaugh, who takes over the highly coveted Southeast region for the recently promoted Brendan Rehor. Cavanaugh is one of the most experienced scouts on the entire Bears staff. He ran the Midwest region for the Houston Texans between 2009 and 2020. During that period, they selected players like Sherrick McManis, J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Will Fuller, Nick Martin, and Nico Collins. He was the primary voice when the Bears selected wide receiver Tyler Scott, cornerback Terell Smith, and now punter Tory Taylor.
Papagno is a young up-and-comer from Las Vegas who spent three years ascending their department as a player personnel assistant.
Ryan Poles still has work to do.
Based on the available information, he still needs to fill two area scout positions: one in the Southwest region and the other in the Midlands region. The Bears also need a new assistant director of pro scouting after Chris White took a promotion with the Washington Commanders. Based on recent track record, there is a good chance Poles will look to promote from within. Papagno is the only outside addition he’s made to this point. Everybody else has been elevated or shifted elsewhere. With three positions still open, that could change.
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One can’t fault Ryan Poles for this type of thinking. He came from an organization that was known for building its scouting department from within. That is how he got to where he is. The Kansas City Chiefs brought him in, educated him, and let him grow. Assistant GM Ian Cunningham brings the same philosophy from his time in Baltimore. Poles hopes to do the same for young guys in Chicago. It is a great way to build an insular culture where everybody is committed to the organization and its vision.
The dynamic between drafting and what-comes-after is crucial to how each draft is viewed in hindsight. Bad teams get good picks (or at least early picks). Good teams really have to draft based on prediction and then what their coaches can do with projected “promising” picks. Houston has been bad for long enough to be able to draft J.J. Watt and what now looks like productive players, but Chicago, but Ryan Pace trading draft picks for established players, made it hard to evaluate scouts. Of course the Bears poor record of coaching, made every lower draft pick almost worthless. When… Read more »
The only thing holding me back from a career as an NFL scout is my poor work ethic.
“Huge”??
While Cavanaugh had some good hits in Houston as a scout, I feel his time here is yet to be determined. 2 backups and a Punter isn’t anything to write home with.
Maybe he will bring in some better players in the coveted SE Region vs the Midwest.
He doesn’t look like a sportswriter or professor, thankfully.