Though the Bears are only 10-24 in his first two years as the Bears general manager, Ryan Poles has totally revamped the roster. As he enters his critical third season as the general manager, the talent he put together will be unleashed when they begin their season against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday.
But the turnaround was not the sole credit of Poles. Poles' understudy, assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, has traveled with Poles throughout each of the three seasons to various college games across the nation as the two look for talent to add to the Bears' roster.
Their work is also being recognized around the league. In a poll of NFL Agents conducted by The Athletic, Cunningham received the most votes for "Future GM to watch?" while the Bears, as a whole, tied for third place with five votes in the category of "Which franchise had the best offseason?"
Here is a quote from an agent regarding the Bears off-season:
“Bears. The momentum started with last year’s trade and extension for Montez Sweat. They made a call on Justin Fields’ future with the organization. Then they drafted Caleb Williams and gave him a receiver with Rome Odunze. The momentum continues.”
Bears' 2024 success will mark the end of Ian Cunningham's tenure with the team.
It is certainly nice to see the Bears being respected around the league despite their lack of success.
One thing to remember is success comes with a price in any sport. Great organizations identify talent and give them a platform to succeed. If the Bears become successful, then people like Cunningham will leave for a chance to run their own show like Ryan Poles is doing now.
When Cunningham leaves, the Bears will not be short of people they can promote from within. Jeff King, who was promoted to senior director of player personnel, and Trey Koziol, who shared the co-director of player personnel title with King, are two obvious internal candidates. Poles could hire someone from successful organizations like San Francisco, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.
The Bears have been lucky to hang onto Cunningham for as long as they have, despite past overtures from teams with previous vacancies. But if the Bears have a successful season in 2024, more teams will come knocking for Cunningham.