With free agency in full swing, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has yet to make an impactful signing. In fact, the most impactful move he made was to trade away one of the few draft picks he had. Does he have something big planned later?
Chicago Bears fans have been waiting for this offseason to get in full swing. They had high hopes that general manager Ryan Poles had some big moves up his sleeve to tackle the offseason.
So far, however, while he’s made some good moves to add depth, he has not really made any that significantly improve the team. Knowing Poles’ history, we should not have expected big, splashy moves in free agency. However, he has made impactful moves.
Last season, Poles passed on paying linebacker Roquan Smith $100 million. Instead, he traded him to the Baltimore Ravens. Then, he took that $100 million and added T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. He spent $91 million for two top-ten linebackers, and it worked out well.
Poles spending money on areas that are not a priority
This year, however, Poles has yet to make impactful moves. His biggest signing so far has been running back D’Andre Swift on a three-year, $24 million deal. He will now be part of a trio of running backs for the Chicago Bears. He will share time with Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson.
Sure it is a nice signing. However, running back was not a big area of need. Sure, it is still early, but defensive end and wide receiver are two positions of greater need. The Bears need a pass rusher to help protect Montez Sweat. Additionally, the wide receivers unit is thin with the loss of Darnell Mooney.
Poles also signed safety Jonathan Owens. Owens is an undrafted rookie free agent who worked his way up to become a starter with the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. Now he will back up Jaquan Brisker. Again, backup safety was not an area of need.
The Chicago Bears also signed quarterback Brett Rypien. The only difference between Rypien and Nathan Peterman is that Rypien at least has experience in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s system. That’s about as much of a contribution he’ll make. If he does play more than a few snaps then that means the season is over.
Poles addressed the offensive line with the signing of Matt Pryor. However, Pryor is a player who has trouble maintaining his weight. At one point, he ballooned to 390 pounds. Additionally, he reaches too much and gets exposed when he does.
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There have been some good signings
There have been a couple of good signings. I will include new additions only. Signing Gerald Everett was a solid signing. Everett is a tough tight end who can get yards after catch. The Chicago Bears receivers struggled with gaining yards after the catch so he helps there.
Also, Everett and Waldron were both together before. Everett was there with Waldron at the start of his career in 2017 and again in 2021 with the Seattle Seahawks. Waldron likes to use two tight-end sets a lot so Everett and Cole Kmet should be a good duo.
The signing of Kevin Byard will also help. He is a two-time All-Pro and will be a good replacement for recently released Eddie Jackson.
Poles plan for center
Center was a pressing need for the Chicago Bears. Poles spent a valuable draft pick to obtain Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills. He tried to acquire Bates in 2022, signing the restricted free agent. The Bills matched the offer sheet, though. Now Poles successfully acquires him.
Bates is another undrafted rookie who made a career. Is he a starting-caliber player? It appears not since he has not started a game since 2022. He could provide good interior line help since he plays both guard spots as well. However, he could have gotten the same help without spending a valuable draft pick.
Poles used a valuable draft pick on a center who might not even start. He also signed Coleman Shelton. Like Bates, he went the 2023 season starting zero games. Now there will be a competition between the two.
What will Poles’ plan be for the draft?
Poles has said many times that he wanted to build the roster through the draft. That is a great idea since the team will have those players under their control at a great price for a few years. With him not overspending in the draft, he needs as many draft picks as possible.
There is the question of whether Poles keeps the pick or trades it. If he keeps it, that means quarterback Justin Fields gets traded. However, Fields will not fetch much on the open market with Poles waiting and other teams filling up their quarterback needs.
The Chicago Bears now have five draft picks in this April’s draft. He could trade the top pick and receive a haul. He also has the ninth pick he could trade for more picks. There are also two fourth-round picks to play with.
The prevailing thought is that Poles will use the top pick. That cuts the opportunity to pick up a historic treasure trove of picks. If he trades the ninth pick, it will likely cost the Chicago Bears a chance at one of the elite prospects at wide receiver.
Poles will pick up a wide receiver because of the desperate need. However, instead of having an elite receiver paired with D.J. Moore. They will have a mid-round prospect and not have the chance to see a great duo.
At some point, Poles needs to bring in elite talent, especially if he can do it through the draft. Having undrafted players littered throughout the roster is a nice way to have cheap salaries, but if you want to win titles you eventually need to bring in high-quality talent.
We saw Poles use that formula when he first became the Chicago Bears’ general manager. Back then there was a reason for that. He needed to rid the roster of bloated contracts. The result was a team that went 3-14 and losers of their final 10 games.
Poles is in Year 3 of his rebuild. This is when he said the team should take a big step forward. While it is still early, he has not made the deals that indicate that will happen. Let’s hope he has a surprise move no one is thinking of yet.