Why Ryan Poles is not another Ryan Pace for the Chicago Bears

Ryan Poles and Ryan Pace backgrounds are very different

Despite both only being with one team when the Chicago Bears decided to hire both of these young general managers, their backgrounds are very different. Ryan Pace was 37 years old, while Ryan Poles is 36. Do not let Poles age fool you though. While Ryan Pace was in New Orleans, he essentially worked under one regime — Mickey Loomis. That is not the case with Ryan Poles.

Poles has been with the Chiefs for 13 years but has worked under three different general managers. That is something to note because it is not often that an executive or coach will stick around through one regime change, let alone two. Poles was hired by Scott Pioli, a very well-respected general manager throughout the league and part of the early 2000s New England Patriots. That era included four Super Bowls.

Ryan Poles was kept on by John Dorsey when he took over in 2013. Dorsey never saw a losing season while with Kansas City, yet was fired after the Chiefs went 12-4 and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. Poles was kept onboard again when current general manager Brett Veach took over. Veach not only kept him but made him a fast riser in the organization.

Although the two are of similar age when hired by the Bears and only came from one organization, this should not instantly lead people to the thought of Ryan Poles being just another Ryan Pace.