For most of the past decade, the Chicago Bears felt like the exploded reactor at Chernobyl. Nobody wanted to get near it for fear it would kill them. The organization had been a mess for the better part of a decade. It was Marc Trestman fiasco in 2014. There were clear miscommunications between John Fox and Ryan Pace from 2015 to 2017. Then it was the incredible fumble by Matt Nagy after his promising first year in 2018, alienating his young quarterback and losing the locker room’s respect. Ryan Poles was hired in 2022 to do something nobody had in a long time: build not just a talented team but a cohesive one.
That is not easy. It takes someone with a sharp eye for physical ability and the right sort of personality. There are lots of players out there who can look good on the field but are problematic off it. Chicago needed guys who could elevate the team culture to one of high standards and camaraderie. After three off-seasons of ceaseless hard work, it appears Poles has achieved his goal. He recently stated players are practically begging to join the team or stay with it because they can sense something special building. Adam Jahns of The Athletic confirmed this.
But it was interesting to hear Poles relay some of the conversations he’s had with players over the past few days during the roster cutdown. Players want to be here. Players sense something coming together.
“They’re like, ‘Man, I just wanna be here. I can feel it. I want to be a part of this thing,’” Poles said. “I always look at it and I’m excited about it, but when you hear from people inside the building but also outside, it makes you feel really good about the progress that you made.”
This isn’t some overly optimistic form of GM speak, either. Poles is expressing sentiments shared by players, coaches, the front office and even former critics outside of Halas Hall. It’s a vibe felt through “Hard Knocks.” Something is different about the 2024 version of Bears.
There is plenty of evidence to back up the claim. Anybody who has followed the Bears’ journey on Hard Knocks can see a healthy locker room filled with guys who are happy to be there and happy to be around each other. They work hard, play hard, and have fun doing both. Such things don’t happen without outstanding leadership. Poles is part of that, as is head coach Matt Eberflus. They’ve set the standard from the beginning and worked to add players who fit such a vision. D.J. Moore, Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, Montez Sweat, T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon, and Jaquan Brisker are all great examples of this approach.
Yes, the Bears still need to prove it on the field. Everybody knows this. You need to play the games. The road ahead isn’t easy. Both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions still stand in their way. Chicago was 1-3 against them last year. There will be no Super Bowl aspirations until they can reclaim the division. This is the objective Ryan Poles set out for from the beginning. Retake the North and then go after the Lombardi trophy. He feels the Bears have become exactly the kind of team that can do both, and players everywhere can sense it.
