One stunning stat exposed Ryan Poles for Bears' disappointing start to free agency

Most Chicago Bears fans are happy with what Ryan Poles and the team did in free agency this offseason. However, Pro Football Focus is unsure if the team got that much better in the immediate future.

PFF uses a Wins Above Replacement formula to measure player value. So, they added up the value of the players coming in, subtracted the value of the players going out, and calculated the WAR added in free agency. The Bears ranked 21st in this metric.

Bears fans think the roster improved, and the team did what they had to do, but it is understandable to see where they get this reasoning.

Did the Chicago Bears roster improve as much as other teams in free agency?

At wide receiver, they lost DJ Moore and Olamide Zacchaeus and added Kalif Raymond. Raymond knows Ben Johnson well, but in the WAR formula, he likely ranks lower than Zacchaeus, let alone Moore.

At center, they lost Drew Dahlman and replaced him with Garrett Bradbury, another drop off, even though fans see it as replacing a surprise hole.

The idea for the Bears' offense is that the young pieces, along with bringing back some solid offensive linemen, will bring a better unit, not free agency additions, so it would make sense if this group were not much improved in this metric.

On defense, their interior line got better in free agency, but they did not add much on the edge. When it comes to Devin Bush, Coby Bryant, and Cam Lewis for Tremaine Edmunds, Jaquan Brisker, and Kevin Byard, it is likely a better scheme fit for the Dennis Allen defense, and, in many cases, a drop in pay for the players who were there. Still, the upgrades are not significant, either.

Bush was better than Edmunds last year, but Edmunds made more than Bush. Bryant is the best of the four safeties, but most would argue Lewis is the worst.

Chicago weathered a lot of roster turnover and brought in players that fit what the coaches want, while also getting rid of bad contracts and keeping things fresh moving forward. It was not a pretty free agency, which is why it did not grade out too well in this metric.