After the last few general managers and coaches that have run through Halas Hall, Ryan Poles — while very early in his time with the Chicago Bears — continues to prove that he’s the real deal; and he’s proving time and time again that he was the right choice for George McCaskey to hire for the vacancy.
Ryan Poles is proving to the Chicago Bears time and time again that he’s the real deal
Has he gone and traded for Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill? No, and that furthers the point that he’s been impressive.
Sure, a top wide receiver coming to Chicago would be nice, but when those receivers come at the cost of the franchise itself, is it worth it?
The easy answer: No.
Not only do the Chicago Bears lack in terms of trade capital, but in terms of draft capital, Poles has explained that he wants to use that draft capital in the draft.
New Bears GM Ryan Poles: "We’re going to build through the draft. We’re going to acquire, young fast and physical football players. … The most important piece is we’re going to take the North and never give it back."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) January 31, 2022
However, what Ryan Poles has said most recently about the NFL Draft is just one more reason to believe that Ryan Poles is the right guy for the Chicago Bears.
"“It’s funny, because there’s a lot of panic, like, ‘You need receivers.’ I think Davante [Adams] was taken in the second, right? So there’s talent there."
And if that quote alone wasn’t enough to give you an exciting peek into Ryan Poles’ mind, he goes on by saying:
"“It’s not always going to be like that, I get it. And we’re going to be patient. If it’s not there, we’re not going to do it and force it, either.”"
While Bears fans online love to shout with their torches and pitchforks that they want more action, more splashes, more aggressiveness; yet, that aggressiveness, action, and splashes in free agency put the Bears in the mess they’re currently in.
The best result of being aggressive in the past was getting Justin Fields via trade-up, and even that was more of an attempt to save the jobs of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy — if anything.
Thankfully, Justin Fields has shown the promise of being a quarterback that the Chicago Bears can build around for many, many years. However, the general manager making moves is an important part of the development of a quarterback.
Yes, the Bears haven’t been that active in big-time free agent signings, but there’s reason behind it: Ryan Poles has patience, a trait the predecessors lacked.
Now, if Ryan Poles down the line — maybe at the draft, for example — makes a colossal mistake, then the criticism can be justified; but until then, Ryan Poles deserves a lot of credit for handling a team with a lot of problems with an even head and a patient hand.
This Chicago Bears team could look a lot worse than it does, and Ryan Poles is a big reason for this team having a much higher trajectory than they’ve had in the recent past.