Everyone was out on general manager Ryan Poles after a disastrous 2024 season. He had been on the job for three years and fired both head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron middle of the season.
The issues went beyond just Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff. Poles is 100% responsible for poorly constructed roster, especially the offensive line after Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times.
So when Poles was able to hire top head coaching candidate Ben Johnson, it came as a total shock. There were rumors that Johnson was pushing for firing Poles and hiring his own general manager, much like Sean McDermott in Buffalo did when he brought in Brandon Beane from Carolina. San Francisco hired Kyle Shanahan first, then paired him with John Lynch as the general manager.
Johnson refuted those reports, saying he trusted Poles and that they could work together, and praised the roster Poles had built. Still, Poles was seen as someone Johnson had given a second life to and who had a lot to prove.
Ben Johnson on his relationship with GM Ryan Poles:
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) January 24, 2025
"We see the vision for this program being exactly the same, and I'm just beyond excited to find a partner like this."
(via @670TheScore) pic.twitter.com/p9n9IJA17Y
When the legal tampering officially started on Monday, the Bears crushed it by signing center Drew Dalman, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. It is hard to believe the Bears finally got the legitimate center after years of negligence, a defensive end that fits the description of what the defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes, and a defensive tackle, who is expected to provide leadership and has already won over fans in his presser.
They also traded for two starting guards, Jonah Jackson, who played for Johnson in Detroit from 2022-23, and Joe Thuney, who has won four Super Bowls with New England and Kansas City just before the start of free agency.
The moves made are direct reflection of the players Johnson wanted in order to make his system work. While it seems Johnson is more involved in the personnel evaluation, Poles redeemed himself for executing the acquisitions this off-season.
But another challenge awaits both Johnson and Poles as the draft takes place next month. With 10th, 39th, and 41st picks in the first two rounds, they have more flexibility to go in a different direction now, though adding more talent in the trenches will still have to be a priority.