6 thoughts following the Chicago Bears 25-20 loss to the Eagles
Chicago Bears Thought No.5: Ryan Poles is on the clock now
Ryan Poles will probably never have an offseason like this one with the resources he has. With over $100 million dollars in cap space in free agency, perhaps more could be available depending on the players they decide to cut or not to resign, and the top 2-3 draft pick in the April NFL Draft, he will be the busiest man in the NFL. And the one with the most pressure.
It will be interesting to see what Poles does in free agency. Will he overpay like the Jacksonville Jaguars did last offseason when they had to overpay players like Christian Kirk, Jay Zones, Branden Scherff, Evan Engram, and Foye Oluokun in the early stages of free agency? Or, will he be planning to implement the “intelligent spending” strategy that Cubs’ Jed Hoyer used to sign a few elite free agents and focus more on the draft?
He said he wanted to build this team through the draft. He will have his choice of either drafting a blue-chipper like Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson or Georgia DT Jalen Carter with a top-5 pick. He could also trade down with a team that desperately wants to draft a quarterback by acquiring multiple picks, including the 2024 first-round pick, to continue building for the future.
The lingering question remains whether he can identify skill position talents. Both Tresten Ebner and Velus Jones fumbled and does not look like they belong in the NFL. And the trade for Chase Claypool has been a disappointment due to a lack of production and injuries.
Trading their own second-round pick to acquire Claypool looks even worse now as the season progresses because that pick will likely look more like a 1st rounder, which the Bears could use rather than waiting until the Baltimore pick that they acquired in the Roquan Smith trade.
His offseason to-do list just got longer after the Eagles game, as Cairo Santos missed yet another extra point, and saw him telling coaching staff he could not attempt a field goal from the Eagles’ 31-yard line, forcing the Bears to punt. And as I mentioned in Thought No. 3, they need to add a veteran RT, C, and LG.
The Eagles game provided the Bears fans with a blueprint of how they constructed their roster and how the Bears can do the same this offseason. While the 13-1 record that the Eagles have right now following the Bears game may not be achievable, the Bears should be more competitive next season with much better talent.
If they are not significantly better by this time next year, then the fans know who is at fault.