Matt Eberflus is gone. The spotlight of the Chicago Bears‘ dysfunction now rests on GM Ryan Poles. This shouldn’t be a surprise. He promised a winner when he took over in 2022. Instead, he’s offered nothing but the same stuff they’ve endured for the past decade. There hasn’t been a culture change. The offense is still bad. There is no sense of identity. Many wonder why Poles deserves a pass while Eberflus got the blame. With each passing week, it looks like the roster he’s built isn’t as impressive as many thought.
No position group has haunted the GM more than the offensive line. It was supposed to be his area of expertise as a former lineman himself. Instead, it has shown how alarmingly blind he is to the position. The group has allowed 58 sacks this season, on course for the most ever in a single season by the Bears. Worse still, his most prominent moves are proving to be disasters. Nate Davis was a complete crapshow after less than two seasons. Third round pick Kiran Amegadjie looks completely overmatched whenever he steps on the field.
Now Poles suffered another blow as Ryan Bates, his prized trade acquisition from Buffalo, went on Injured Reserve for the second time.
Bates was somebody he’d pined for going back three years when the Bears tried signing him as a restricted free agent. Instead, he traded a 4th round pick to Buffalo to get Bates, who barely logged 100 snaps this season before shoulder and head injuries ended his year. That is a bad look. Ryan Pace may have been more egregious with wasting draft resources, but that doesn’t excuse Poles. The Bears would’ve likely gotten more of a return from a veteran free agent rather than giving up a valuable pick. This is why the trade market can be dangerous.
Ryan Poles should know that by now. Since taking over, he has traded for the following players:
Of that list, only Moore and Sweat can be called successful acquisitions. The rest were disappointments to varying degrees. At some point, the Bears need to take stock of these misfires and ask the obvious question. Should we really trust this GM with the future of the franchise? Everybody makes mistakes, but Poles’ seem too frequent to ignore.
