3. Bears trade Roquan Smith for a second-round pick
Poles and his staff thought so little of Roquan Smith that they not only failed to give him a contract he deserved, but traded him away last season. Smith has gone on to become one of the best all-around linebackers in the league and part of a Baltimore Ravens defense who appreciates him more than Chicago ever did.
Smith is currently fourth in the league in tackles, ranked as the sixth-best linebacker in football according to Pro Football Focus and is coming off a season which saw him make the All Pro team. He is one of the elite coverage linebackers in the game today, whom the Bears ultimately replaced with Tremaine Edmunds, who has been mediocre for the majority of his time on the field this year.
Smith could have been a mainstay in this defense for years to come, and is playing far better than Edmunds is in his first year with the Bears. Instead, Poles took the "he's not my guy, so I'm not paying him" approach, as he could very well do with another Bears player this coming offseason (think, a Justin Fields trade).
Thus far, Poles has been far from impressive in his seat as the general manager. It's going to take one heck of an offseason, and potential coaching hires in 2024, for him to earn the trust back of this fan base.