The Chicago Bears give insight into their scouting program
If you don’t follow the Chicago Bears on YouTube, you are missing out over the last couple of seasons. As I’m sure you all know, the franchise is very closed off when it comes to how the organization is run and how the coaching staff handles their business. However, a year ago, the team came out with a YouTube series called 1920 Football Drive. The series gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what takes place at Halas Hall and more. We might see even more if the Bears are selected to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks in 2023.
A couple of months ago, in one of the episodes of 1920 Football Drive, we were given the chance to see Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham on the road. The two were scouting a few different schools and it was fun to see them in action. Now, last week, the team presented a video in connection with BUILD Chicago that gives a look at the team’s scouting program.
The Chicago Bears give insight into their scouting practices
BUILD supports young men and women from the west side of Chicago through violence prevention and youth development programs. A select number of students were invited to Halas Hall and learn more about being a scout. They heard from many people within the scouting department and also Ryan Poles. While watching the YouTube video of this scout school we even saw an interesting nugget.
If you follow along with what Ryan Poles has said since becoming the general manager of the Chicago Bears, you’d know that he covets youth and athleticism. It seems that the team uses analytics to create an A-Score. In the video, we find out that the team has Justin Fields rated highest, Chase Claypool second and Velus Jones rated third.
Could this be an insight into a larger problem with this team going forward? Justin Fields has looked elite at times, but Chase Claypool has been underwhelming and Velus Jones was literally benched at one point this year. Jones came on stronger at the end of the season, but Claypool never found his footing here in Chicago.
I wouldn’t put too much stock into it as a problem quite yet, but it’s something to put in the back of the ol’ memory banks as we see what happens in 2023. If Justin Fields cannot make any progress next year, if Chase Claypool looks like a WR4, and if Velus Jones cannot find a way to make an impact outside of the kick return game, then maybe this A-Score isn’t it. Maybe Ryan Poles and his staff are focused too much on athleticism and not enough on football players. I’m not saying that’s what’s happening, it’s again, just something to keep an eye out for as Poles’ career progresses.