Ryan Poles’ initial assessment of the Chicago Bears roster and overall operation was necessarily critical.
It came through clear eyes and without emotional attachments. There were, after all, many reasons major changes were being made at Halas Hall. And Poles had no reservations about sharing his appraisal in a direct, detailed manner that immediately resonated with the five-person committee the Bears had assembled to run interviews for prospective general managers and head coaches.
“He was not afraid to speak his mind,” said Bill Polian, a Hall of Fame executive the Bears tapped to steer their searches. “And he spoke with substance and not fluff. He understood where this organization wants to go but also was clear in laying out the hard work it’s going to take to get there.”
The Bears lost 27 times over the previous three seasons. They haven’t won a playoff game in 11 years. Former general manager Ryan Pace — despite his best effort over seven seasons — wasn’t able to build a consistent winner. Plain and simple.
Thus when Poles first spoke with the Bears search committee over Zoom on Jan. 21, he had no intention of sugarcoating anything. As he expressed his vision for becoming the team’s next GM, he spoke with confidence and candor. He pointed out the steep climb the Bears face to return to relevance. And he acknowledged their shortcomings and the many obstacles a new leadership team would have to navigate.
Discipline, he stressed, will be key in his role. Especially in the weeks and months ahead.
“We all want results fast,” Poles said. “There are shortcuts at every turn when building a roster. (But it’s about) being disciplined and doing things the right way. And that’s hard because we all want championships right now.”
Added Polian: “This is not going to happen overnight.”
As the NFL scouting combine begins Tuesday in Indianapolis, Poles and new Bears coach Matt Eberflus will continue getting acclimated with the work they have ahead, trying to establish a plan that ideally will push the Bears into regular playoff contention as soon as possible.
As part of their obligations this week, Poles and Eberflus will meet with reporters Tuesday, offering at least some additional insight into their evaluation of the team while dropping bread crumbs along the path they are heading down.
For Poles, even the initial surface-level analysis of the depth chart led to a sobering yet obvious conclusion. The team doesn’t have enough difference makers who can spark runs of sustained success like the one Poles enjoyed in his previous job with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bears don’t have enough draft capital either. Certainly not enough to significantly accelerate their recovery efforts in 2022. For this April’s draft, the Bears have just five selections — their first one at No. 39 in the second round and only one other before the fifth round. The chances to add immediate difference makers or even long-term contributors will be slim.
The Bears also face salary-cap constraints that could restrict them from making a splash in free agency.
This is a tough job, but someone has to do it. And in the franchise’s latest reboot, Poles has become the ship’s captain.
The Bears’ pre-draft homework will accelerate this week as prospects interview and take part in drills and workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Poles and his front-office staff also will have the opportunity to connect and chat with agents, gaining a more thorough understanding of the free-agency landscape that awaits when the new league year begins March 16.
Poles already has offered several clues about how he hopes to revive the Bears. He has a draft-first vision, a goal to replenish his roster via that avenue and a belief that that’s how sustainable success begins.
“We want to create this core of guys that we drafted,” Poles said. “They know how to operate (under our guidance). And we know everything about them.”
Poles also has emphasized his fondness for the second and third waves of free agency, in his eyes a preferable path to chasing big-name acquisitions that drive NFL chatter and hype over the first 48 hours of the league year.
That’s not to say the Bears will be stationary and stubborn when 3 p.m. hits on March 16. They will be open to exploring intriguing opportunities the market might present. But those first-wave signings, Poles believes, have to be shrewd, calculated and well-timed with a team’s window to compete for championships.
Thus the likely scenario is the Bears will do more work in free agency after “NFL New Year’s Day” passes. Poles believes the team might be able to strike shorter-term deals with motivated players who want to reach free agency again quickly.
It is then, the Bears hope, that the search for talent and fit will line up nicely with some bargain price tags.
“You want free agency to be a supplement,” Poles said. “But if you continue to go outside the building (for talent), you can get yourself into trouble. Because those players (in free agency) don’t necessarily believe in the same things in terms of your culture.
“I don’t want to say it’s a shortcut all the time. But if you are always going to (free agency), it comes to that because you’re overcoming the fact that you’re not keeping the guys you drafted.”
Through that lens, the plans for the Bears’ March shopping trip are clear. Plug holes. Shrink the list of needs. Move forward toward the draft with a grounded understanding of where this team stands.
Polian is confident Poles’ 13 years of experience with the Chiefs will be invaluable in his new and elevated role. Poles stepped into an organization in 2009 that was struggling to find its way and left in January after the Chiefs had made seven consecutive playoff appearances, appeared in four consecutive AFC championship games and went to two Super Bowls, winning the Lombardi Trophy two years ago.
That journey should only help Poles in Chicago.
Said Polian: “Well, you know a) what it takes to climb that mountain; b) you know that it can be achieved; c) you know how you’ve achieved it; and d) you recognize what you have to do in order to achieve that. And it can’t be done overnight. It doesn’t happen overnight. And Bears fans need to recognize that.”
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