The Chicago Bears are going to add a wide receiver this off-season. If fans get their wish, it is going to be a big swing at receiver, and it may be one that makes or breaks the career of Ryan Poles. Getting the right pieces to make Justin Fields successful is his greatest test this offseason, and so far he has not been able to pass this test.
To be fair, he has not been handed the winning ingredients, and this offseason he will finally have the proper draft capital and cap space to make moves, rather than clean up for others. Still, his track record at wideout has been poor so far.
His signings were Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Dante Pettis. You can argue that these were not bad considering how much Pettis and St. Brown played. Beyond that, St. Brown appears to be sticking around for next season.
Still, what is funny about the situation is that the salary of Pettis and St. Brown combined do not come close to the salary of Pringle. You did not hear me mention Pringle as a contributor or future rostered player.
It is great to find St. Brown, but almost more concerning that Poles paid Pringle so much more to hold that role, only to lose it to St. Brown. Beyond that, names that made less than Pringle in free agency and outproduced him this year are Ray-Ray McCloud, Zach Pascal, Jarvis Landry, Mack Hollins, and Keelan Cole. All would have saved Chicago money and benefited more.
Poles traded for N’Keal Harry. This is another one that is tough to blame because it was a future pick for a lottery ticket. Still, Harry has done nothing so far. Not long after Harry was traded, the Panthers acquired Laviska Shenault for a similar cost.
Shenault has 26 catches for 264 yards and also has eight rushes for 64 yards. That is not some star season, but more in line with what fans should expect to see from that type of acquisition. Harry has six catches for 109 yards and no rushes. Even the style of the player fits the Chicago Bears more.
However, the Chicago Bears are trying to make Velus Jones their Laviska Shenault. That is the next issue that Poles has. He took Velus Jones in the third round, and he has six catches this season. Players taken after Jones to outproduce him include David Bell, Khalil Shakir, Romeo Doubs, and Kyle Phillips. Most of those names were consensually ranked over Jones before the draft.
Beyond that, it is less about Jones and more about taking Kyler Gordon over a player such as George Pickens. It appears quarterback and play caller are the only things holding back Pickens this season while Gordon has been the biggest issue in the Chicago Bears secondary.
Lastly, and we all know this one, the Chase Claypool trade. Let’s circle back and remember that Claypool played on the Steelers. The Steelers saw Claypool as inferior to George Pickens so they moved him. Yes, that George Pickens. So, the Chicago Bears will now trade pick 33 to the Steelers for a lesser wide receiver than Pickens, because they did not want Pickens with pick 39.
No matter how you look at Poles, or whether you trust Poles, that last sentence is bad work. What hurts more is that Kadarius Toney was traded for less than Claypool around the same time and even he has produced more.
You can say it is just because of the Chiefs, but that also excuses any idea that Claypool is not producing because the offense is too tough. Toney jumped into his offense already and has been hurt, but still somehow paid off more.
So, Ryan Poles did not have the right assets to make big moves, but he has been wrong and missed at every trade, signing, and a draft pick when it comes to wide receiver.
Would the room feel different if the group included Mack Hollins, George Pickens, Laviska Shenault, and Kadarius Toney rather than Byron Pringle, Velus Jones, N’Keal Harry, and Chase Claypool? We will never know, but we do know that Pols had the chance at the former four, and they have all produced the latter four that he opted for instead. That does not inspire confidence heading into a huge offseason.