The Chicago Bears came into 2024 believing they finally had the pieces in place for a legitimate offense. GM Ryan Poles found two playmaking wide receivers in Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, to join D.J. Moore. Speedy running back D’Andre Swift arrived as a free agent. Caleb Williams came in as the #1 overall pick. Excitement abounded. Two weeks into the season and everything has collapsed. Almost all of it stems from how badly the offensive line has performed, unable to either generate movement on the ground or protect their quarterback.
Future Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t afraid to call Poles out for this fiasco. He feels the team did a poor job constructing the offense, prioritizing the wrong position groups. He cited on the Pat McAfee Show that a big reason Detroit is so successful is because they keep sinking high draft choices into their offensive line, including three 1st round picks. Meanwhile, the Bears have one 1st round pick, a 5th round pick, two free agents, and a 2nd round pick Poles kept from the Ryan Pace era.
To a certain degree, Belichick is correct. The Bears could’ve invested more high draft choices in the offensive line. However, it is important to remember Poles has only had three 1st round picks since taking over. One went to the offensive line, one got his quarterback, and the other sought to get that quarterback a weapon. If there was one moment where Poles maybe should’ve gone after the O-line over other positions, it was the 2022 draft. His first three picks were Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Velus Jones. He passed on Cam Jurgens, Luke Goedeke, and Abraham Lucas. All three have since become quality blockers for their respective teams.
So yes, Belichick does have a point. However, it’s important to remember that Ryan Poles faced the difficult task of completely rebuilding the entire roster. Sometimes, he had to make difficult decisions. He felt Braxton Jones’ ascent, moving Teven Jenkins to guard, and adding a veteran like Nate Davis would give them enough talent to find stability. It hasn’t worked out that way. No doubt the Bears GM is already plotting possible solutions. One can safely assume he will be aggressively looking for upgrades next off-season.
