Ryan Poles accomplished his goal by the end of the 2022 NFL draft. He hinted for weeks that he’d like to have more picks than the six he went in with, and sure enough, he ended up with 11 by the time it was over. The Chicago Bears secured an additional 35 undrafted rookies via free agency or camp invitations if that weren’t enough. It is clear the young GM intends to give his coaching staff as many options as possible and let them sort it out. With some good fortune, the Bears might’ve secured two or three quality talents for the future.
However, the action may not be over. After making all those moves, Poles isn’t one to sit back and relax. He believes more opportunities to improve his roster are still to come. He said as much during an interview with Jeff Joniak. His goal is to create the strongest competition possible on the roster. As other teams begin cutting players to make room for their own draft picks and maybe make others available via discount trades, Poles made it clear he plans to be active.
Mere days after the draft concluded, the Bears claimed wide receiver Chris Finke off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. This was after they’d added one receiver in the draft and seven as undrafted free agents. So no position is off-limits to the Bears’ GM. If he feels he can get somebody who can contribute to the roster competition at a favorable price, he will pounce. That should make the next few months fun to watch.
Smart money says the team will secure at least one or two more new faces for the roster. Probably more. Ryan Poles isn’t naive. He knows the Bears aren’t where they need to be in any of the three phases. The only way to get there is to churn the roster until they find the formula that works. That will take time and constant work.
