Tag: ryan poles

Bears GM Ryan Poles is reportedly unhappy over his unofficial demotion which is so ironic

Ryan Poles doesn’t understand the Bears’ new power structure because he’s being a whiny child.

I want to make one thing clear before I say anything else.

In no way, shape, or form am I defending the current iteration of the Chicago Bears led by overmatched and overwhelmed George Halas scion, George McCaskey. In 14 years as Chicago’s chairman, McCaskey has ruined the reputation of the NFL’s charter franchise by overseeing the worst era in team history. Three of the five worst Bears coaches ever by winning percentage were hired under his guidance. In effect, McCaskey has demonstrated his milquetoast leadership is pathetic at worst and inept at best.

No organization led by this clear product of nepotism deserves the benefit of the doubt.

With that said, it’s quite amusing to hear that Bears general manager Ryan Poles is reportedly unhappy with Chicago’s new power structure. It’s as if he doesn’t understand the job he took in the first place. That, or he thinks he doesn’t deserve accountability.

According to Waddle and Silvy of ESPN1000 in Chicago, Poles doesn’t like that he now has to report to team president Kevin Warren. It’s “not a personal thing,” either. It’s that Poles apparently doesn’t like not reporting to McCaskey anymore, as he did in the 2.5 years before the Bears fired Poles’ hand-picked doofus coach, Matt Eberflus.

My guy. C’mon. Can we please have a modicum of self-awareness?

Let’s set aside the fact that the Bears have operated like this for years. Let’s ignore that they have usually emasculated their general manager while empowering a glorified accountant (I haven’t forgotten you, Ted Phillips!) who has no precedent of success at the professional level of football. Let’s also not forget that Poles was hired before Warren and even served on the 2023 search committee that brought Warren to the organization. They broke their own mold to let Poles have the reins to himself for once.

So, I don’t think Poles reporting to Warren now is all that outlandish. That’s because, for as much as I wouldn’t trust Warren to bring the Bears back to prominence, I trust Poles even less. I’m not sure I would trust Poles to dial the water temperature in a shower, much less build a Super Bowl-caliber team.

At the time of this writing, Poles’ Bears have a meager 14 wins in three seasons. They have never been relevant past Thanksgiving. After bungling the short-lived Justin Fields era, Chicago is now in serious danger of ruining an even better quarterback prospect in Caleb Williams — one of the biggest pillars of hope this franchise has seen in decades.

The Bears’ trademark incompetence aside, most of that lies at the feet of Poles.

Poles is the one who has made perplexing decisions in free agency time and time again. For example, he gave underwhelming linebacker Tremaine Edmunds just $3.2 million less guaranteed than perennial First-Team All-Pro Roquan Smith, who he traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Somewhere, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is still running past Edmunds in coverage.

Despite stockpiling salary cap room and assets he has yet to use in a productive fashion, Poles is the one who weirdly mortgaged part of the Bears’ future with an ill-advised, expensive trade for workout warrior receiver Chase Claypool. Surely, it’ll shock you to learn Claypool finished his Bears career with just 18 catches for 191 yards.

Poles is the one who once emphasized the importance of addressing the Bears’ trenches. We’re almost three years into his tenure, and the Bears still have zero building blocks on the offensive interior, even though they have the best quarterback talent they’ve ever had playing for them. The Bears are on pace to allow over 60 sacks this season. Good stuff!

To give Williams a red carpet for his early NFL career, Poles also helped empower ex-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The Bears’ offense has basically had no consistent rhythm for three months. It’s only looked occasionally good when Williams has played off-schedule because Waldron installed nothing coherent or sustainable. Now unemployed, Waldron will sooner get a job off LinkedIn before he’s entrusted to run another team’s offense again.

And don’t get me started on Poles’ drafting history. He has arguably left the cupboard more bare than any of his recent predecessors. The Bears are just as far away from competitive relevance now as when Poles took the job in 2022.

Gee, I wonder why Poles’ bosses moved around the chairs on the deck of their personal Titanic.

So forgive me if I want to play a tiny violin for one of the NFL’s worst general managers. He gets no sympathy from me. If Poles really is upset that he has to report to someone else now, he doesn’t understand how badly he executed his own convoluted rebuild plan. He has not earned the right to complain.

Frankly, he’s lucky he still has his job.

Bears GM Ryan Poles reveals hardships of being rejected by Panthers in 2021

Bears GM Ryan Poles was passed up by the Panthers in 2021. He recently called it one of the hardest moments he’s had to deal with.

If you’re a Carolina Panthers fan who has read the title of this post and still clicked into it, then perhaps you’re a glutton for punishment. But if that’s not your thing, you may want to avert your eyes and ears.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was featured on the latest episode of the Excellent Leadership Podcast, hosted by Chad Biagini. While discussing Poles’ journey in the NFL, Biagini asked the 38-year-old about facing rejection on the path to his current position.

Poles referred back to 2021, when he was actually a top candidate for Carolina’s general manager job. The Panthers, obviously, went in another direction—a decision that stung Poles quite a bit . . .

Carolina, instead, opted for Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations Scott Fitterer. Poles, the executive director of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs at the time, would eventually be hired by Chicago.

And, ironically enough, Poles and Fitterer would go on to do some heavy business down the line.

In May of 2023, Poles and the Bears traded away that year’s No. 1 overall pick to Fitterer and the Panthers in exchange for a king’s ransom. The Panthers—for what became the draft rights to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young—shipped off two first-round picks, two second-round picks and star wideout DJ Moore.

The deal has proved to be a massive boon to the Bears, one of the league’s fastest-rising teams. Chicago got a career year out of Moore in 2023, a couple of keepers in offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and the No. 1 overall pick of the very next draft—quarterback Caleb Williams.

Oh, and they still have to collect on a 2025 second-round pick, which will likely end up as a pretty high one.

Conversely, the trade has yet to work out for Carolina—who relinquished a bevy of resources into that top selection. Since then, the Panthers have gone 2-16 while Young has passed for 178.7 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

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Joe Schoen revealed where the Giants stand on Daniel Jones in a mic’d-up comment to Bears GM

Thanks to Joe Schoen’s hot mic, we know exactly what the Giants think of Daniel Jones.

The last episode of this season of Hard Knocks cast an interesting and very different light on two different NFL general managers.

From the Chicago Bears’ perspective, it allowed us to see a more human side of Ryan Poles. In a delicate moment, Poles cried while regrettably cutting Adrian Colbert. It showed us that NFL executives aren’t as heartless as some might assume.

From the New York Giants’ perspective, Joe Schoen inadvertently revealed how Big Blue feels about sixth-year quarterback Daniel Jones. How? He congratulated Poles for not having to scout quarterbacks — because Caleb Williams is in Chicago — while both hung out on the Georgia-Clemson sideline last weekend.

That means Schoen and his scouting team have clearly already laid out a foundation of work to find New York’s next signal-caller. Mind you, this is before the 2024 Giants and Jones have even played a single game.

When the writing’s on the wall, you probably shouldn’t ignore it:

https://twitter.com/montecri5to/status/1831180763909296384

It’s not surprising to learn Schoen and the Giants are already scouting quarterbacks. Heck, if the Giants had a better first-round pick in this past April’s draft, they probably would’ve tried to jump up and get someone rather than hang around and draft receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall. With multiple high-profile quarterback prospects available, it was an awful year to be outside the top three if you needed a new signal-caller.

Plus, nothing about Jones’ career to this point suggests he is a guy you can win with in the long term. He’s had half a decade to prove otherwise and has failed at nearly every turn. The ride on this carousel only isn’t over because the Giants don’t have any other options. It’s that simple.

Still, if you’re Jones, it can’t be great to see your GM on national television indirectly note that he’s looking at quarterbacks before your new season has begun. It’s a sign of the times ahead of what might be a brutal year in New York.

Bears GM Ryan Poles actually left the room to cry before cutting Adrian Colbert on Hard Knocks

The Bears GM has a heart of gold.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that NFL executives only see data spreadsheets and numbers while doing their job. There is a distinct and crucial human element to running an entire franchise as a general manager. One that will inevitably crush you here and there because it’s just the nature of a cruel business.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a classic example of this on the last episode of this year’s Hard Knocks.

On final cutdown day, journeyman safety Adrian Colbert — who conducted himself like a consummate professional in Chicago — was released by the Bears. But a combination of Colbert’s inspiring story where a car tragically hit him as a child along with his steadfast dedication to playing football appeared to really move Poles.

While knowing he still had to make the tough decision of cutting Colbert, Poles left the meeting room to cry and compose himself for a moment as soon as their conversation began.

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1831351152975220859

That’s special right there.

That’s a GM who cares about his team and his players first and foremost. That’s the tough balance of doing what’s best for everyone as a leader while the emotional human being inside of you tugs and pulls at your decision. It’s not easy, and it never will be.

Thanks to Caleb Williams and a young, exciting roster, the Bears have a lot of warranted hype entering this new NFL season. If you’re a Bears fan, you should feel even better about the team’s prospects after seeing how invested your GM is.

Bears GM Ryan Poles revealed on Hard Knocks why he ultimately passed on a Matthew Judon trade

Bears GM Ryan Poles really did his homework about Matthew Judon.

With Caleb Williams in the fold, the Chicago Bears arguably have one of the NFL’s better rosters on paper. But if there’s a place where the Bears might still have a glaring hole, it’s that they don’t have a No. 2 edge pass rusher to pair up with franchise player Montez Sweat.

The Bears almost rectified this need with a trade for ex-New England Patriot Matthew Judon … before the Atlanta Falcons swooped in to finish the deal.

During the latest episode of Hard Knocks, Bears general manager Ryan Poles explained his apprehension behind making a move for Judon and why he ultimately passed on pulling the trigger for the difference-making veteran:

Everything about Poles’ thought process is sound and reasonable for a GM trying to build a consistent Super Bowl contender in Chicago.

Even at the age of 32, the Bears knew that Judon probably still had plenty left in the tank and that he would’ve wreaked a lot of havoc in their defense. But they weren’t sure if he would agree to a long-term extension with the organization. They had apparently even included a key provision in their trade proposal that the deal would revert Judon back to the Patriots if he didn’t sign on the dotted line with Chicago.

While a third-round draft pick for Judon sounds enticing at first glance, it’s ultimately a lot to give up for a potential rental for a Bears team that’s trying to win now but probably isn’t ready to compete for a championship just yet. Instead, riding with the developmental trajectory of promising rookie Austin Booker for four cost-controlled years makes much more sense. The Bears traded a future fourth-round draft selection to acquire the young defensive end from Kansas in April’s NFL Draft.

Poles did his due diligence to check on the possibility of a Judon addition. He did even better to remember the Bears have a long-term vision and that it’s better to let his current roster grow before he starts pushing all of his chips in.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles prepares for Caleb Williams’ NFL debut

Talking season is almost over. Playing season is almost here for Caleb Williams.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said that he expects “great things” from 1st-overall selection Caleb Williams. Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, James Jones, and LeSean McCoy discuss the expectations on Caleb Williams and what to expect from him in his rookie season.

Bears Wire offered this note from Day 3 of Bears training camp:

For the first two practices, the Bears offense had struggled during the two-minute drill, coming out without any points. But on Monday, they finally got the best of the defense. According to the media in attendance, quarterback Caleb Williams led the offense down the field with completions to receivers Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. That completion to Moore came on fourth down, which set up the game-tying field goal by kicker Cairo Santos. It was progress for an offense battling what they’ve called a top-10 — or even top-five — defense.

Caleb Williams should make his NFL debut on Aug. 1 against the Houston Texans. An official announcement of who will play has not been made, but it’s hard to think Caleb won’t get at least some time. He needs the live reps, and he needs to be thrown into the fire so that he can make all necessary adjustments.

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Vibes around Bears HC Matt Eberflus are different now

The Bears made the choice to keep Matt Eberflus as the head coach. It seems like that is a decision that fans are okay with, for now.

Last season, it seemed like there would be no chance that Matt Eberflus would return to the Chicago Bears as their head coach in 2024. He didn’t have the best reputation early because the team did a lot of losing in his first two seasons. It certainly wasn’t all on him as the roster was in shambles, which made it hard to win.

Eberflus didn’t do a good job with the media, which made people wonder about his ability to lead this franchise. The Bears had a strong end to the 2023 season, which cooled the seat down just a tad. But then there was an all-time great coaching free-agent class available. Still, Chicago stuck to their plan and didn’t fire Eberflus just to pursue a big name.

Now, over the last few months, we’ve seen a different Matt Eberflus. Not only did he change his overall look, but he also changed the way he approached the media and coaching in general. There’s a completely new vibe that surrounds him.

It is also very clear that general manager Ryan Poles, who has done a great job since taking over, loves Eberflus. He wants to win with him, and you have to respect Poles for going with his guy no matter what others think.

But the pressure isn’t off Eberflus just because he got the backing of his GM this offseason. Eberflus needs to win football games in 2024, and he’s set up to do so. A rookie QB is coming in, but he is one that they can win with. The tools are there for Caleb Williams to score big-time points with a great defense backing him up. If they don’t hit the ground running, Eberflus’s seat will start to warm up again.

Nobody wants this guy to fail. Players, coaches, fans, and local media all want to see the Bears win. With Eberflus coming in with a whole new feel, it is fair to give him the chance he deserves with a good roster to coach up.

Bears offered Falcons a fourth round pick to trade up for WR Rome Odunze

The Bears tried to move up one spot to draft Rome Odunze before landing him at No. 9. Things couldn’t have worked out better for Chicago.

The Chicago Bears landed two offensive cornerstones in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 1) and wide receiver Rome Odunze (No. 9).

While Williams was a guarantee to land in Chicago, the same can’t be said for Odunze, who was the third receiver off the board in the top 10. Given Odunze’s talent (he would’ve been the top wideout in any other draft), he wasn’t a lock to make it to the Bears at ninth overall.

In a new clip from Roku’s show “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In,” general manager Ryan Poles made a call to Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot about trading a future fourth-round selection to move up one spot from No. 9 to No. 8, to block another team from leapfrogging them to get him.

It’s no secret the Bears were high on Odunze heading into the draft, and Poles wanted to ensure he got his guy, who it sounds like was No. 2 on their draft board behind Williams.

“Would you move back one spot? Is that in the cards, or?” Poles asked Fontenot. “Like a future fourth (-round pick). We did the same thing with Philly last year.”

The deal not going through was the best thing that could’ve happened to the Bears. One pick later, the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. while Chicago landed Odunze at ninth overall — without giving up any draft capital in the process.

Meanwhile, the Falcons were recently docked a future fifth-round draft pick this week following tampering charges during free agency involving quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner.

Now, Odunze finds himself in a loaded receiving room alongside star veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. The trio compose one of the league’s best receiver tandems, which will give Williams plenty of options as he looks to make an immediate impact in his rookie season.

Looking back on the Bears’ all-time trade in franchise history

The Bears trade of the No. 1 pick in 2023 has set them up for success in the long term.

The Chicago Bears did an incredible thing for their franchise just last year. General manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a trade that redefined the franchise moving forward that will help them build a winner.

After earning the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, as the worst team in the league, they opted to forgo selecting a quarterback and ride with Justin Fields. The result? One of the best trades in NFL history.

The Bears traded the top selection to the Carolina Panthers for a haul that has turned into wide receiver DJ Moore, right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, quarterback Caleb Williams and a 2025 second-round selection still on the way.

While the trade isn’t finalized yet — with that second rounder to be — it’s already one of the greatest trades in franchise history.

For one, Moore became their No. 1 receiver immediately. Even with inconsistent quarterback play from Justin Fields in 2023, Moore stood out as one of the best wideouts in the NFL.

Wright, selected at 10th overall in 2023, was one of the Bears’ best offensive linemen and looks the part of a franchise right tackle. It won’t be long until he is helping the Bears have one of the best offensive lines as a result.

Stevenson, selected at 56th overall in 2023, started immediately as a rookie and emerged as a playmaker in the secondary. With one year under his belt, Stevenson will look to build off a strong finish in his first season.

Carolina was the worst team in the NFL last season, which led to the Bears getting the No. 1 pick and selecting quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago has never had a star quarterback that is considered elite. Williams may end up being that guy.

Getting Moore, Wright and Stevenson out of that trade is very good right off the bat. Add in Williams’ potential and you could be talking about one of the greatest trades ever made in NFL history.

As for Carolina, they selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who struggled during his rookie year. C.J. Stroud, who was selected second overall by the Houston Texans, looks like the much better player. That is going to be a painful comparison for a long time if Young doesn’t take a step. That isn’t Chicago’s problem though as they got the best of the deal by far.

Teven Jenkins says ‘nothing is on the table’ for Bears extension

Teven Jenkins has said he wants to a Bear for a long time, but he’s still waiting for the team to engage in contract negotiations.

It’s been quite the journey for offensive lineman Teven Jenkins ever since he became a member of the Chicago Bears. The former second-round pick was supposed to be the team’s franchise left tackle, then experienced a regime change, moved to right tackle, was supposedly on the trade block, and finally settled at guard, where he became one of the league’s better interior blockers.

Despite the rollercoaster early on, Jenkins found a home on the offensive line and is being counted on for the 2024 season as the Bears usher in a new offense and a new era. But anything beyond that is very much up in the air.

Jenkins said as much on Wednesday afternoon following Day 2 of Bears minicamp practice. Meeting with the media, Jenkins was asked if he had talked with the team about a possible contract extension as he is entering the final year of his deal. “Yeah, we reached out,” Jenkins said, but quickly made it clear where things stood. “Nothing is on the table.” A follow-up was asked on where things stood with him and the current administration. “Up in the air, can’t tell you,” Jenkins said while shaking his head.

According to Jenkins, one side is talking about wanting to do a deal. The question is, when will general manager Ryan Poles follow up? Jenkins is the next player in line for an extension, and he has excelled at guard when healthy. That’s the issue, though.

Since coming into the league back in 2021, Jenkins has started just 24 of 51 possible games due to injuries. He’s dealt with back issues, a neck injury, and lower body injuries, including one that kept him out of the team’s first four games last season. Jenkins knows he hasn’t been on the field enough and mentioned that as his top goal this upcoming season. “Stay healthy. That’s No. 1, and that’s of the utmost importance for me right now. Stay healthy, get through the whole 17 games, and continue my strong play from last year and be a more consistent, reliable guy.”

Jenkins has the potential to be a Pro Bowl guard if he can stay on the field. He allowed just three sacks all year in 2023, with two of them coming in the final game. He’s developed into a mauler in the run game and has been the team’s top interior lineman the last two years, despite moving from the right side to the left in 2023.

Poles hasn’t been shy about giving out extensions, even to the players he didn’t select. Tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson both inked new four-year deals within the last 12 months, despite being selected by the previous regime. And while Kmet has been the team’s Iron Man, Johnson has dealt with his own health issues, which could have been one of the reasons for the holdup. Poles and Jenkins may have had a rocky start to their relationship, but things appear to be much better going into Year 3 together.

The Bears clearly need Jenkins to solidify the interior of their offensive line, given the constant shuffling that has been happening. If he can just stay healthy, there’s a much better chance of a deal getting done. And it’s not like Jenkins wants to go anywhere, either. “I want to be a Bear for a long time,” he said in an interview last month. Hopefully, the feeling winds up being mutual.