2nd and 3rd best moves by Ryan Poles for the Chicago Bears
2nd Best Move: Trading the old defensive core
Although finding value for good players is very easy to do, the actual decision to bite the bullet and lose games in hopes of long-term success is far from easy. Especially in a city as passionate as Chicago sports fans. Cutting your losses and securing value on aging assets was a great move for the Bears. The core was never gonna do anything in Chicago and they were getting too old.
Trading two aging assets such as Mack and Quinn were great moves that are no doubt good moves in hindsight. And trading Roquan Smtih who was supposed to be the next great Bears linebacker was a move I could easily get behind. Handing out a market-resetting contract to a non-premium position was never something I wanted the Chicago Bears to do, and they secured good value with a second-round pick for Smith.
3rd Best Move: Drafting Braxton Jones
Although this is not exactly the “jackpot” and “steal of the draft” type pick right now. The value is impossible to deny, Poles found a guy who started all 17 games as a rookie coming from the FCS. Even if Jones does not take the steps necessary to become and maintain his role as a starter, this is still a great value pick.
Anytime you can get 17 starts and solid play out of a rookie in the 5th round at a premium position such as left tackle, you take it and run.