This was the first real offseason that we got to see what Ryan Poles could do as the Chicago Bears General Manager. This was the year that Poles had his draft picks, and his cap space, and not the leftovers from the previous GM. No wonder, this offseason has been met with more praise than others.
So, what were the best decisions that Ryan Poles made to guide the Chicago Bears back up in 2023?
5. Chicago Bears decided to invest in Justin Fields
Ryan Poles was at a legitimate crossroads when the season. He had the number one overall pick, which could have meant plenty of things. It could have meant that he saw that all he needed to see in Justin Fields, and that it was time to move. He could have taken any quarterback that he wanted.
Of course, the other door was to use that pick to invest in Justin Fields. He could have said that Fields was not the reason they lost so much, and an offseason supporting him may end up better than an offseason starting all over again. Ryan Poles chose this route. We think this will be the smart route.
First, if the debate is about Bryce Young or Justin Fields, it is hard not to think that the size had a major deciding factor. Beyond that, the Chicago Bears still did not have a roster where they could draft Bryce Young, and feel good. They still did trade the 32nd pick for Chase Claypool so that they could take a quarterback first, but that would be it for a while in the draft, and the team would not have upgraded the roster as much.
The Chicago Bears were in a spot where the roster was worse than the quarterback. Ryan Poles made the right decision to use the number one overall pick to make life easier for any quarterback, rather than throwing another one into an awful spot. That makes sense.