When we look at the offseason of the Chicago Bears, we see plenty of changes among the roster between this season and the last. Ryan Poles is putting his own stamp on things. It is difficult at this point to know which signings, trades, draft picks, etc. are going to work for the best and which may not work out at all. That said, there have been a few somewhat important moves that are not getting enough attention — let us call them underrated.
Before we discuss these underrated moves, let’s take a quick look back at some of the big moves that Ryan Poles has made this offseason. The first move that comes to mind is the trade of Khalil Mack. It appears that many Chicago Bears fans now believe that Khalil Mack is not an elite player. It is funny how quickly the fanbase will turn on a player when he is no longer wearing navy and orange. Stop just stat watching, Khalil Mack is a beast. He is one of the best defensive pass rushers to ever play the game and he is going to be in the Hall of Fame one day.
The Chicago Bears are building things a different way this offseason
To sit back and think that he is not one of the better players to ever be in Chicago is disingenuous. Too many claim him to be injury-prone despite his injuries only causing a horrible lack of playing time and production in the 2021 season. Even then, Mack finished with six sacks in seven games. All of this praise aside, Ryan Poles absolutely made the right decision in trading Mack to the Chargers. It was a huge move though and cannot be considered “underrated.”
The 2022 NFL Draft is another big move for Ryan Poles. Not because of the specific players selected, but because Poles was able to turn six draft picks into 11. Not only that, a vast majority of those 11 draft picks were no later than the fifth round.
Ryan Poles hasn’t really made what most fans would consider a “splash” move. This is difficult for some fans to wrap their heads around, but we all (including me at times) need to remain patient and try to understand Ryan Poles’ and Matt Eberflus’ vision when it comes to building this team. These three moves I am about to discuss may not sound sexy at all, but they could prove to be the most impactful.