We close out our roundtable asking for your thoughts on Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles?
We’re wrapping up this five-part post-draft roundtable with your thoughts on the Chicago Bears‘ general manager.
Here’s today’s topic…
Did this draft change your opinion of Ryan Poles?
Jeff Berckes: Why would it? He’s pretty sound in his approach and clearly works with his coaching staff to acquire players they are excited to work with (did you see Randle El’s excitement after the Burden pick?!). I don’t think he’ll ever be Howie Roseman, but I do think he can be successful when paired with a smart coaching staff. He makes mistakes and he makes good choices, but overall I appreciated how he navigated this draft and this off-season.
Jacob Infante: Not necessarily. I feel like he aced his first two picks, took a swing with Ozzy Trapilo, and added a safe defensive tackle in Shemar Turner. He still has a bit to prove with his Day 3 selections, though, and taking a major consensus reach in Round 4 concerns me a bit. That said, he clearly values draft capital and wants to take multiple swings at the plate, which is the right approach.
Josh Sunderbruch: Sort of? I have this mental image of Ryan Poles as the Jay Cutler of GMs. Yes, he’ll do some great things, but he’ll also make absolutely killer mistakes. This draft did nothing to move me off of that image of him. However, I have to admit that I’m impressed with how he navigated a poor draft class, and even if I don’t like all of the individual choices he made, his track record there suggests he’s actually going to do better in the long run than I’m giving him credit for right now.
Sam Householder: No. I am a fan of what he’s done overall. Sure, there is plenty to criticize, but he seems to have a measured approach to trade-ups and values future picks appropriately, IMO. Turning seven picks going into this year’s draft into eight players and a future pick is a win. I don’t think the board fell their way in a couple spots (top of the second round for sure). But overall, I like what Poles did, and I think he helped change the roster to fit Ben Johnson’s vision.
Mongo Peanut: Not necessarily, no. This felt like a classic Poles draft. I have learned that he is often going to have different approaches and evaluations than what fans and media project for the Bears. Sometimes it works out (see Wright, Braxton Jones, Gordon) and sometimes it doesn’t (see Velus Jones, Pickens). I think the one thing that was tough to watch this year was having players who were seemingly targets get snatched up in front of the Bears. Perhaps Poles would have navigated differently if he had known how pervasive this would be during the draft, but he publicly remains steadfast in his commitment to their board and patience.
TJ Starman: Not really. I think this draft has been pretty consistent with what Poles’ track record has been so far: taking “Best Player Available” when possible (while seemingly foregoing needs), landing some value in trades, and probably reaching in favor of character and athleticism (particularly in later rounds).
Erik Duerrwaechter: Nope. He’s still on thin ice for me, and there’s zero margin for error. All the credit is due for him aggressively fixing his biggest weaknesses on the roster after spending the first 3 years relying on the draft to make the biggest impact. That being said, he can’t miss on any of these early picks. His first draft class was shaky aside from Kyler Gordon and maybe Braxton Jones, with Jaquan Brisker being the biggest unknown in terms of projecting long-term health. A lot of his previous free agency classes yielded pitiful results. This Bears roster is now loaded with talent everywhere. These decisions have to yield actual wins on the field this year. No more excuses.
Bryan Orenchuk: I wouldn’t say the draft completely changed my opinion of Ryan Poles, but I was impressed that he stayed disciplined and didn’t trade up for any one player. Instead choosing to stick and pick or even trade back to collect additional value. I’m more grateful for his judicious approach, which was not exactly what I had expected, but not exactly a change of opinion.
Dr. Mason West: No, because I have been in the more positive Poles Camp, and he navigated this draft well. He didn’t get flustered and overpay. He let the board fall as it should and stayed disciplined, adding more capital this year and next. Bears tried to move up in the first but wanted to pay pennies on the dollar, as they should, yet didn’t. Insert some joke about avoiding a 3rd round pick or whatever. He somehow pulled off getting three 2nd round picks. I like it all.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: Kind of. When the 2024 season ended, I would have been fine if the Bears fired Poles along with Matt Eberflus. But he was retained, and he led the charge for Ben Johnson, which was a plus in my book. His free agency period was another positive, and his patience in the draft was another. So, from where I was in January (very meh on him staying), to now (I think he may be a good pairing with Johnson), he’s been trending up in my eyes.