Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles spent the offseason overhauling the roster. Now he feels that the team is in a much better place.
The Chicago Bears are almost set to start the 2023 regular season. They already submitted their 53-man roster, though there will still be some adjustments made before Week 1 begins.
General manager Ryan Poles spent the offseason overhauling a roster that went 3-14 last season. They had the worst record in the league. As a result, they had the number one overall pick in the draft.
Additionally, Poles had the most salary cap space in the NFL. He had almost $100 million to spend and he made good use of that money. He was able to add a lot of talent to the team without overspending. While the fans clamored for this or that high-priced free agent, Poles did not go on a crazy spending spree.
Because of that, Poles added not only talent but also depth to many of the positions.
In the process, Poles also set up the team for additional ways to improve the roster. He added a lot of early to mid-round picks for the next couple of years.
We are looking at this season, however. Last season was another frustrating one. It was a necessary evil, though. The Bears had a few bloated contracts. Poles had to make the tough decision to cut a lot of popular veterans.
In return, he signed a lot of lower-tiered players on one-year deals. That is a big reason why the Bears finished with just three wins. Because of those moves, however, Poles had the flexibility to make the moves he ultimately made.
While the fans complained about what happened last season, they now have renewed hope. Some even feel that the Chicago Bears could make a playoff run. Is that possible? Well, a lot of things have to go right for that to happen. However, they are on the right track.
Poles is ecstatic with where the Bears are
One person who certainly feels that the team is on the right track is Poles himself. He spoke to the media the day after submitting the 53-man roster.
A couple of seasons ago, the Bears were the oldest team in the league. Poles changed that when he arrived. After letting go of a ton of veterans the average age of the team was 25.76 years.
Poles did what he could to keep that age down. Despite adding many veterans, the roster’s average age went down to 25.74 years. That is important since it means the players on the roster will be able to contribute for a longer period of time.
That youth movement will continue as Poles has 15 picks in the next two drafts. Of those, 11 of them are within the first four rounds.
As mentioned before, Poles did not bow to the pressure to make popular moves. He wants to build a sustainable winner. He has a vision on how to get there and won’t deviate from that vision.
That is a change from previous regimes. They made one or two moves to add a big-name player. However, after giving them a big contract, the rest of the roster was basically ignored.
That is not happening under Poles’ watch.
We’re in a much better place than we were last year. I feel we’ve been able to move the needle and be in a position to go after our goals and to have more aggressive goals in terms of being a championship organization.
Having a championship team means adding the players who fit the system. A championship team does not just become top-heavy and ignore the rest of the roster. A championship team has a complete team.
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Poles goes out and starts to build a complete team
Poles came from the Kansas City Chiefs. While everyone talks about Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the team has a solid offensive line, strong running game, and a defense that works hard and comes up big in big games. They also have a special teams with an effective kicker.
This is where Poles wants get. He added weapons so that quarterback Justin Fields can succeed. Fields is the Chicago Bears’ best chance at finally finding its franchise quarterback.
Part of helping Fields is keeping him healthy. Despite letting David Montgomery leave, the running backs room is stronger. Last season the Bears led the league in rushing. The main reason for that was Fields’ 1,143 rushing yards.
The Bears don’t want to have Fields run so much this season. With Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, and Roschon Johnson, Chicago can still have a strong running game without depending on Fields as much.
Poles also added to the defense. He added big names T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds on cost-effective deals. He also made the cornerbacks unit stronger, faster, and more athletic.
Is there work still to be done? Of course there is. This is a complete overhaul so one offseason won’t get it done. However, this roster is completely different from last season. It is a stronger roster that can win more games. There are more leaders on the team who hold their teammates accountable.
Poles sees a lot of improvements on the defensive side. He feels the defense could produce more turnovers than they did last season. On offense, he sees more explosive plays.
If you really break it down, I feel like our defense in terms of takeaways is going to be in a better situation. I feel like explosive plays and run-after-the-catch on offense is going to be better.
As mentioned before, this is a young team. It is important to be patient with the young players as they develop. Once they do, it will be an exciting era for Chicago Bears football. Poles is making sure that happens.