The NFL’s owners meetings are continuing this week in South Florida, with owners, head coaches and executives gathered to discuss league business. For the Chicago Bears, it’s also another step in their latest reboot effort as new general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus push to steer the franchise in a winning direction.

Poles spoke with Bears reporters Monday afternoon. It was his first question-and-answer session since the scouting combine, and he had a lot to address after a flurry of moves in free agency this month.

While the Bears’ attempt to make a big splash with the signing of defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi ultimately came up empty, Poles has remained active in adding pieces to the roster while retaining a level of patience and discipline that he hopes will set the team up for a brighter future.

Here are three things we learned from the new GM on Monday.

1. Poles remains confident in his decision to trade Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers.

In his first public comments about the trade, Poles acknowledged the difficulty in dealing a star pass rusher and four-time All-Pro. But with a big-picture and realistic view of where the Bears roster currently stands, Poles had little regret pulling the trigger on the deal.

“It’s one of those situations where you knew you had to do what is best for the club,” he said. “There was buy-in from Matt, from ownership, from everyone. They understood it was the right move at the right time.”

The Chargers sent the Bears a second-round draft pick (No. 48 overall) for next month’s draft plus a sixth-rounder in 2023 for Mack.

Poles felt satisfied adding another Day 2 pick for this year, particularly one at a spot on the draft board widely considered to be a sweet spot for quality talent.

“With this draft in those mid-rounds, it’s deep,” he said. “At least I hope. And that’s the way it looks on the board right now. So I’m excited about that. This puts us in range of some really good players.

“At the same time, it also allows us to (potentially) maneuver a little bit. Because we don’t have a ton of picks (overall). So if there is a way to create more (by moving around), we’ll be open to that.”

Poles said Monday the move to trade Mack was based in part on some analytical assessments the team did, factoring in his age — he turned 31 in February — and his play-time history.

“We put all of that together,” he said. “And then there’s a timing mechanism as well. You know if you wait, what does that look like (in terms of trade value)? If you do this now, what does it look like? We just thought that right now it would allow the Bears to have more ammunition to add more players.”

2. The Bears are working to trade quarterback Nick Foles.

When the Bears agreed to sign backup quarterback Trevor Siemian to a two-year deal last week, it raised the question of what it meant for Foles.

Poles said the Bears signed Siemian to back up Justin Fields because he is a better fit for the new Bears offense than Foles. The fact that Siemian, a former Northwestern quarterback, has experience backing up Peyton Manning and Drew Brees also was a factor.

Siemian has spent time with five teams over seven seasons, most recently with the New Orleans Saints at the end of 2020 and 2021.

“There’s a wealth of knowledge he can bring to Justin as well,” Poles said.

Foles, who is entering his 11th season, has been with the Bears since 2020, when former GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy brought him in to compete for the starting spot with Mitch Trubisky. He was relegated to third-string quarterback in 2021 when the Bears signed Andy Dalton and drafted Fields last year, and he played in just one game.

Poles said they will see if there’s any trade interest.

“Nothing has popped up right now,” Poles said. “But we’re working on it. Hopefully something pops up.”

3. Lucas Patrick showed Poles what kind of player the Bears were getting when they wrapped up their deal.

When the Bears signed Patrick to a two-year, $8 million deal, he began screaming into the phone — and Poles took that as a sign the new center has the nasty mindset he wants on his offensive line.

“It kind of showed what he’s all about,” Poles said. “He embodies that. He’s tough. He’s a prick, and he knows it and that’s how he survives. And that’s what we need up front. … That’s going to improve the rest of the group, and we’re going to keep adding guys like that.”

Poles confirmed he sees Patrick playing center for the Bears. He also thinks Patrick’s leadership will be useful as the Bears get familiar with new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, whom Patrick worked with in Green Bay.

“He should have a really good foundation, and then that time can be spent making sure everybody else knows what to do,” Poles said. “Especially at the center position, they make the calls. They make the adjustments. That’s going to help Justin out in terms of protections, so he knows where his pass rush is coming from. I think that’s a big advantage.”

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