Dan Durkin takes a deep dive into the three-year tenure of Ryan Poles to determine if the franchise truly benefitted from his time on task or if the mistakes are too glaring to gloss over. In part two here, he examines all his 2023 transactions:
Flush with the most cap space in the league (nearly $33M) and the first pick in the draft, the Chicago Bears were the center of the 2023 offseason. Less than a week after the 2022 season officially ended, Ryan Poles got a new boss – Kevin Warren.
Warren, an attorney by trade, replaced the retired Ted Phillips and assumed ownership of the Bears’ football and business operations. In terms of football decisions, the relationship between him and Poles was pitched as “collaborative,” which left room for interpretation and how it would work in practice.
The biggest acquisition of the offseason — and Poles’ career — was made shortly after the NFL combine. He was snubbed by the Panthers in 2021 for their open general manager position. That job went to Scott Fitterer. Like Michael Jordan, he seemed to take that a bit personally.
Poles drew upon the inside knowledge he gained during his interview with Panthers owner David Tepper. He knew the organization’s desperation to get the quarterback position settled and bled Fitterer. The first-overall selection in 2023 was turned into wide receiver DJ Moore, the Panthers’ 2023 first-round pick (ninth overall), 2023 second-round pick (56th overall), 2024 first-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick and 2025 second-round pick.
This was undoubtedly a massive haul that had/has the potential to change the trajectory of the organization for years to come, provided Poles’ selections turn into cornerstone pieces for the franchise.
Getting Fitterer to throw in Moore was a coup. Not only did it give the Bears a legitimate wide receiver, it severely weakened an already talent-deficient Panthers offense. Any Panthers decline directly benefits the Bears’ 2024 first-round pick.
Despite being flush with cash, the pending free-agent class was weak overall and lacked star power. The top offensive line options included players like tackles Mike McGlinchey, Jawaan Taylor, Orlando Brown Jr., Kaleb McGary and guard Ben Powers. On defense, Javon Hargrave was the top available option to fill the void at three-technique. Linemen always earn a premium in free agency. But Poles had the money to set a market as he saw fit.
In terms of the Bears’ own unrestricted free agents, David Montgomery was the decision point. Poles let him test the market, and just a day into free agency, he signed with the Detroit Lions and is thriving. No doubt he’s playing behind a better line, scheme and play caller, but his individual productivity is outstanding. In 28 games, he’s scored 26 touchdowns, earning him a contract extension. Lions coach Dan Campbell called him, “everything you want in a back.” Another hole on the Bears’ roster was created.
In the end, these were the top-five contracts Poles inked:
- Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds – four years, $72M with $50M guaranteed
- Guard Nate Davis – three years, $30M with $19.25M guaranteed
- Defensive end DeMarcus Walker – three years, $21M with $15.6M guaranteed
- Linebacker T.J. Edwards – three years, $19.5M with $7.9M guaranteed
- Nose tackle Andrew Billings – one year, $3.5M
This likely wasn’t the group fans were expecting. Rather than being the market-setter, Poles held a line and played in markets comfortable to him. He attempted to fill the void left by his trade of Roquan and added some rotational pieces to the defensive line. However, nobody in this group was offsetting the losses of Quinn and Mack, nor did it move the needle for the offensive line.
After two seasons, Edmunds has been available and is still a young veteran (26 years old). But when you consider his salary is commensurate with players like Roquan and Fred Warner, the impact plays just haven’t been there. I understand Poles betting on the upside, given the athletic profile and age, but this wasn’t a good use of cap space. It could’ve gone to players like Taylor or Hargrave, who would’ve made more of an impact in the trenches and cleared up the decision on what to do with the team’s first-round pick.
Davis was a massive miss. He dealt with a personal situation that kept him out of most offseason activities. When he returned, his performance on the field was nothing short of terrible, especially when you consider he was the player Poles chose to make the team’s highest-paid offensive lineman.
Davis seemed to be more than happy to collect a paycheck but was unwilling to put in the work. In the end, he started just 13 games and was cut after Week 10 of the 2024 season. No team has since signed him.
Walker has been a reliable player on the defensive front. He’s remained available, is versatile in his alignment, and seems to be a respected leader. He’s a bridge piece to a younger, more impactful edge rusher. Which player that ends up being still remains unknown.
Edwards has outperformed his contract and should have made the Pro Bowl in 2023. He’s a sure tackler with quick instincts. His ability to move laterally and cover half the field enables him to make impact plays both in run support and against the pass.
Billings also outperformed his contract and earned a two-year extension. His presence in the middle is felt. He’s a sturdy anchor that occupies centers and guards to keep linebackers clean and flowing to the ball. He’s a good rotational piece on the defensive line.
Poles added players like running backs D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer, quarterback P.J. Walker, and tight end Robert Tonyan. Only Homer remains with the team.
My assessment once again is that there are some good but no great players. Poles missed on his two most-expensive swings, and the roster remained bereft of top-tier talent on both sides of the ball. Free-agent moves are often influenced by the strength of the upcoming draft relative to the team’s most pressing needs. This draft class presented top options at offensive and three technique. But not addressing either in free agency made the decision more challenging.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was among the best players in the draft and clearly the best three-technique. But character concerns weighed into any front offices’ decisions. He was charged with reckless driving and racing that left a teammate dead.
Carter’s situation, like many others, reminds me of an all-time quote from former Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, who said, “We certainly want good citizens, but we’re not looking for choirboys either. There are guys who I wouldn’t necessarily want for my neighbor but who play football and you want on your side.”
Offensive tackles like Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones, Darnell Wright and Peter Skoronski were certainly high on the Bears’ draft board, and the choice Poles made would tell a lot about him as a general manager.
When the Bears were on the clock, Carter was on the board, as were all the tackles outside of Johnson Jr. This was an ideal scenario for Poles – take Carter as the catalyst in the most crucial position in Eberflus’ scheme, or get a foundational tackle who could protect Justin Fields or any quarterback of the future?
In the end, Poles traded down with the Eagles, who drafted Carter. He’s put up 10.5 sacks in his career and just earned Pro Bowl awards. The Bears opted for Darnell Wright, a day-one starter on the right side. The thinking was the Bears might have their bookend tackles with Braxton Jones on the left and Wright on the right. But that decision to pass on Carter will follow Poles throughout his tenure in Chicago.
In Round 2, the Bears would’ve had the first selection (see Claypool, Chase). Instead, the Steelers selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The Bears were on the clock at No. 53 overall, the selection they acquired from Baltimore in the Roquan deal, and chose Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. Back-to-back picks in the trenches for Poles made a lot of sense. Dexter is a hulking human with rare traits, but he’s raw. His impact has been felt over the first two years, but he needs to become more consistent and use his length to win inside.
Just three picks later, Poles swung a trade with the Jaguars, sending them a second- (61 overall) and fifth-round (136 overall) selection for No. 56 overall. The choice was cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who flashed as a rookie, particularly when Jaylon Johnson went down. He showed swagger, the ability to press and good ball skills in contested situations.
However, 2024 has been a rough year for Stevenson. He’s become the target for opposing passing attacks looking to avoid Johnson, and we don’t need to rehash the Commanders game that effectively ended the 2024 season. He has undeniable physical skills, but character and maturity concerns again make you question the type of culture Poles thinks he is building versus what is actually happening.
The Bears had the first pick in Round 3, choosing defensive tackle Zacch Pickens. This pick was a huge miss, Poles’ second straight in the third round. He’s started just three games in two seasons and was a healthy scratch in the team’s most recent game, after starting the previous two in place of the injured Dexter. Seeing the defensive lineman taken after Pickens in Round 3 shows another failed evaluation – Byron Young went to the Rams, YaYa Diaby went to the Bucs and Kobie Turner went to the Rams.
At the top of the fourth round, Poles traded down with the Saints, giving them the 103rd pick for their fourth- (115 overall) and fifth-round (165 overall) selections. At 115, Poles opted for Roschon Johnson, who has been a serviceable goalline and short-distance back, but will never carry the load for the team. Fifty picks later in the fifth round (165 overall), Cincinnati chose running back Chase Brown, who is a far more dynamic player with feature-back potential.
With the pick they acquired from the Eagles for Robert Quinn, Poles chose wide receiver and returner Tyler Scott. The position choice made sense, a vertical threat with top-end speed who could also add some juice to the return game. But Scott has been a flop. He has just 18 catches (one this season for five yards) and has been a healthy scratch multiple times. Dontavion Wicks and Puka Nacua were both selected in the fifth round. You can make a case that every wide receiver drafted after Scott in rounds five, six and the early portion of the seventh would’ve been a better choice.
In the fifth round, Poles had two selections and went with linebacker Noah Sewell (148 overall) and cornerback Terrell Smith (165 overall). Sewell hasn’t amounted to anything more than a special teams player. Smith, however, looks like a keeper. He’s always performed when pressed into duty and adds to the growing observation that Poles and his scouting staff are astute at evaluating talent in the defensive secondary.
Poles took late-round flyers on defensive tackle Travis Bell (218 overall) and cornerback Kendall Williamson (258 overall). Neither played for the Bears, but both are hanging around the league with Bell a member of the Vikings’ practice squad and Williamson on the Chargers’ active roster.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent needs to be added in as a win for the scouting department. As an undrafted free agent, making a roster is an accomplishment in itself. But actually being thrust into starting duty and winning a game is impressive.
Looking back, Wright has become the team’s best offensive lineman. Undoubtedly, that is a low bar to cross. But he does look like a long-term fixture on the right side. Dexter and Stevenson are starters, but what is their ceiling potential? Poles’ mid-round struggles seem real. This draft in particular looks to have severe misses (Pickens and Scott) from picks you would otherwise expect contributors to emerge.
In the summer, Poles extended tight end Cole Kmet – a carryover from Pace – for four years, $50M and $22.9M guaranteed. He has blossomed into a reliable target, a willing blocker, and a locker-room leader.
Prior to camp, Poles added veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the pass-rush rotation, but this group was a weakness heading into the season. This prompted another big trade from Poles, when he sent another second-round pick, this time to Washington for Montez Sweat. The deal was met with some raised eyebrows, given that Sweat was set to become a free agent. But it was easy to understand the intent – bolster the pass rush and get exclusivity with the contract negotiations.
Sweat made an instant impact for the Bears. He ended the season as the sack leader for both the Bears (6) and Commanders (6.5). Of the team’s 30 sacks — the second-lowest total in the league — 20 were generated after his arrival. The holes Poles created in the pass rush were far from filled, but Sweat was a step in the right direction.
Defensively, the team did make some statistical improvements, giving up fewer yards and points and generating more turnovers. Their 22 interceptions were the second most in the league and their rushing defense only allowed one 100-yard rusher all season. But three late-game, double-digit-lead collapses against the Broncos, Lions and Browns doused any playoff hopes.
Offensively, the Bears’ rushing attack was strong. But in a passing league, they still lagged behind the rest of the league. The addition of Moore gave the group some juice. He finished with career-highs in receptions (96) and yards (1,364). But Fields didn’t take the step needed as a passer to give the team confidence about him being the guy moving forward.
The Panthers finished with the league’s worst record, giving the Bears the first-overall selection. This was the absolute ideal result in the potential range of outcomes and presented the Bears with a chance to land their preferred quarterback of the future in a loaded draft class.
Poles’ additions of Moore and Sweat were the best acquisitions he had made to date. Top-tier playmakers who still have many years of productive football ahead of them. However, given the salary cap capital and drafting at the top of every round, the available assets were not maximized.
With yet another bounty of cash and the top pick in the draft in 2024, Poles once again was in an ideal scenario. We will cover that in part three.
If you missed part one, you can check that out here.