People have tried to figure out why Ryan Poles has failed to build the Chicago Bears offensive line so spectacularly over the past three years. It was supposed to be his area of expertise. He played offensive line in college, so one would think he’d have a good eye for talent in that area. Yet he just watched a unit he built surrender 67 sacks and block for the 28th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL. That is about as bad as it gets. It is easy to understand why many fans don’t trust him to fix things going into this off-season.

The truth is there isn’t much nuance to Poles’ failures. Much of it stems from his stubborn refusal to stick with programs with proven track records for producing good offensive linemen. Here is a list of schools that have produced a Pro Bowl offensive lineman in the draft since 2020.

• Iowa (2)
• Ohio State
• Wisconsin
• Oregon
• Alabama
• Oklahoma
• Northwestern
• Tennessee
• Tulsa
• Nebraska

Here are the schools of every offensive lineman Poles has drafted since he took over in 2022.

• Southern Utah
• San Diego State
• Illinois
• Southern
• Tennessee
• Yale

It probably isn’t a coincidence that Darnell Wright, by far the best pick from that group, came from the most proven school (Tennessee).

Ryan Poles must stop trying to be the smartest guy in the room.

It feels like he’s leaning way too much into his own background, trying to find that diamond in the rough others fail to spot. He was an undrafted rookie out of Boston College and may still feel he never got a proper shot. That is not how to operate when running a draft room, especially with such a vital part of the roster. The most successful era of Bears offensive line play was the 1980s, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why. That great unit comprised guys from USC, Iowa, Pitt, and Notre Dame.

Not a small school guy to be found.

Every sign points to the Bears being aggressive at rebuilding the offensive line this spring. That includes free agency and the draft. Ryan Poles has four picks in the top three rounds this year. He has only spent two in that range on linemen to this point, and one of them was injured and came from Yale. The mining for gold needs to stop. Stick to the programs that have done this before. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have some excellent prospects in this class. Don’t overthink it.

After bragging about culture for three years with Matt Eberflus, it became evident the former Chicago Bears head coach didn’t have the personality to hold a locker room together. Much of that came from his constant inability to handle end-of-game situations, constantly costing his team victories. Players lost faith in him. That is why GM Ryan Poles was forced to fire him. He knew the team needed a culture shock with whoever the next guy was. That was how the Bears landed on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Some people were skeptical. Nobody doubts the man is an offensive wizard. He should be great at developing Caleb Williams. However, they wonder if he has charisma and a single-minded purpose to grab the attention of players as a leader. Veteran offensive lineman Dan Skipper was around to watch Johnson’s rise in Detroit. He knows exactly the type of coach the Bears are getting, and he sent a warning to the players via Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. Stay out of his way if you know what’s good for you.

Ben Johnson is the jolt this team needs.

It is evident from watching him that he is big on details. Every player is required to know their exact responsibilities from play to play. If they don’t execute with proper precision, he will let them know it. That may sound harsh, but football isn’t called a game of inches for no reason. The smallest mistakes can have devastating consequences. That is why the best head coaches often don’t let the little things slide. Don’t expect to spend much time on the field if you’re not on top of things on every play.

Ben Johnson brings that to the table. Eberflus had a bad tendency to let things slide. Players complained about it this past season, saying guys were too lax in practice about the little things. That won’t fly under this head coach. Johnson will root those players out right away, which might explain why his agent hinted there could be more roster turnover than fans are expecting. It was the same thing that happened with Mike Ditka all those years ago. Only those ready to put in the work will stay.

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.

The past week has seen Ben Johnson methodically piece together his coaching staff. He’s got all three coordinators in place, retaining Richard Hightower on special teams, adding Declan Doyler for the offensive, and Dennis Allen for the defense. J.T. Barrett (quarterbacks), Antwaan Randle El (wide receivers), and Al Harris (defensive backs) have also joined. Since then, things had gone quiet. That changed on Wednesday when reports surfaced that the Bears were hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor as their new passing game coordinator.

This move is somewhat controversial. Taylor has a complicated legacy over the past few years. He broke into the NFL as an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. He helped them win the Super Bowl in 2017, earning fame as the mastermind behind the now iconic “Philly Special” play that decided the game. However, as the team regressed over the next few seasons, Taylor drew criticism for the unexpected regression of quarterback Carson Wentz. Rather than fire him as ownership wanted, head coach Doug Pederson opted to leave.

Ben Johnson hired Taylor for specific reasons.

The young assistant resurfaced in Jacksonville as their new offensive coordinator under Pederson. In the next two seasons, they finished a respectable 10th and 13th in both yards and points scored. Trevor Lawrence made a Pro Bowl that first year. Unfortunately, things bottomed out this season. Taylor again drew lots of criticism for Lawrence’s regression, and the coaching staff was fired. Now, he’s coming to Chicago to help oversee the development of Caleb Williams. One could understand if that makes people nervous.

In reality, Ben Johnson didn’t hire him to oversee the quarterback directly. That is his job. He will be the one calling plays on Sunday. It is likely the Bears head coach wanted somebody on his staff with a sharp, creative mind who could help craft plays on offense. That seems to be his great strength, as Philadelphia proved. It was also why Doyle was hired as offensive coordinator. Johnson wants young guys on his staff who are ready to brainstorm and do plenty of grunt work.

It seems as if Ben Johnson has ideas for how he wants the offensive side of his coaching staff to look. One would think a first-time head coach would want to surround himself with more experienced guys who have been in the trenches before. Not Johnson. The Chicago Bears’ leader has taken an approach similar to Sean McVay in Los Angeles, targeting young unknowns who are ascending in the league ranks and hungry to make names for themselves. Johnson already landed Declan Doyle, the 28-year-old Denver Broncos tight ends coach who already has a reputation for being a whiz kid, according to many in the league.

Now, the Bears are trying to do it again. This time, the target is Washington Commanders assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough. Fans probably remember him best as a backup for the Detroit Lions from 2019 through 2021, which explains the Johnson connection. He famously almost upset the Bears on Thanksgiving as a rookie, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he’s played a role in Jayden Daniels’ remarkable rookie season. Chicago is hoping to land him as their passing game coordinator.

The Chicago Bears’ interest in Blough is understandable.

After all, he too is a former quarterback like J.T. Barrett, the team’s new quarterbacks coach. It makes sense to surround Caleb Williams with as many guys who have played the position before as possible. Barrett and Blough both had to fight their way into the NFL despite productive college careers. They understand the value of relentless hard work. If Blough ends up on the staff, he could help instill that same way of thinking in Williams. He already has the talent. If he takes on an obsessive work ethic, there will be no stopping him. The Chicago Bears have competition for him, though. Johnson’s former colleague, Aaron Glenn, is also trying to bring him to New York. It will be interesting to see which avenue he considers better for his burgeoning career as a coach.