The Chicago Bears have never fired a GM after only two seasons on the job. Phil Emery came the closest, but he saw a third year since he made a change at head coach in his second season rather than his first. It was impossible to think Ryan Poles could be under heat only two years into his tenure, especially after he purposely tore the roster down to the stubs in hopes of rebuilding it. However, circumstances have begun working against him. It starts with the head coach.
Matt Eberflus promised intensity, intelligence, and 60 minutes of high-effort football when he took over. He also brought a reputation of good defense with him as well. He’s provided none of those things. The Bears are 5-21 under his watch, by far the worst record any coach has had in franchise history. His defense can’t pressure the quarterback, gives up way too many 3rd and longs, and the team ranks near the top of the league in penalties.
Concerns about Poles don’t stop there. He failed to sign Larry Ogunjobi last off-season due to medical issues. Then he traded for Chase Claypool despite glaring worries about his maturity and attitude. The coaching staff has seen two members dismissed for human resource reasons.
Yet, as bad as all of that looks, those may not be the reasons that get Poles fired. It is the fact he may have passed on a golden opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback.
The #3 overall pick of the Houston Texans is not only playing great football so far this season, but he’s on pace for the best rookie passing performance in NFL history. He ripped up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 470 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday. The last one was the game-winner. It is becoming evident the young man has a bright future. Nobody wants to say it, but this is the same player Poles purposely passed on when he chose to trade the #1 overall pick in March to Carolina.
Now, to be fair, plenty of people thought it was a good decision. The Bears needed more resources to retool the roster. They also wanted to give Justin Fields another year to see if he developed. Still, Ryan Poles gets paid the big bucks to recognize when there is an opportunity to upgrade at the sport’s most important position. Stroud is playing significantly better football than Fields despite far less experience.
The Bears have a long history of passing on future good quarterbacks. It looks like Poles joined that legacy. When you combine that with all the other problems during his tenure, there are enough grounds to justify firing him.
