Ryan Poles isn't afraid to wheel and deal. He's proven many times in the past that he will make trades if he feels there are good opportunities. Chase Claypool and Montez Sweat were two examples. His willingness to trade the #1 overall pick showed plenty of guts as well. That is why Chicago Bears fans felt there was a strong possibility Poles might strike before the November 4th deadline to bring the team some help. They certainly needed it, given the vast slew of injuries they've suffered on both sides of the ball. However, Poles was remarkably reserved. His only move was swapping picks with Cleveland for veteran defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Nothing else. Guess he learned a few lessons, right? Well, yes and no. Ben Johnson played a role in that outcome.
Poles admitted during his recent meeting with the Bears media that a big reason for Chicago's measured approach was at Johnson's insistence. Apparently, he had to talk Poles out of making any big moves, believing the smarter approach was keeping those high draft picks to continue adding young talent.
“I think they’ve closed a pretty big gap with this new staff. So that gets me even more excited and gets Ben excited to watch our coaches work with these young players that we draft, that are young now, that we draft in the future to have a big role on our team.”
“A lot of times you get into these moments and you get tunnel vision about right now: What do I need to do?” Poles said. “His ability to see short term and long term for us to be able to have those conversations is, as a front-office person, really awesome to have.
“Not only him but also (defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen, too, who has been in that (head coaching) chair, to see the big picture and how we want to build this football team. They have a really good understanding of it, which is good.”
This is such a weird juxtaposition.
Usually, it's coaches who are more prone to aggressive personnel moves. They're interested in winning immediately, caring little for the long-term outlook. Not Johnson. He understands the importance of keeping a steady pipeline of young talent. You can't do that if you keep giving up premium picks for quick-fix veterans.
This confirms the ongoing rumor about Ben Johnson.
It has been suggested for months that the Bears' head coach has the final say on personnel decisions. It was part of the reason he came to Chicago, along with the large contract. If the Bears wanted him to work with Poles, they would need to give him significant control of the roster decisions. While Poles still runs the scouting department and makes the moves, nothing happens without running it past Ben Johnson first. It is fascinating to wonder what the Bears might've done if somebody else were the head coach.
Reports said Chicago had major interest in New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson. New York wanted a 2nd round pick for him. Would Poles have made that deal if Johnson hadn't put his foot down? Thankfully, we won't have to find that out. The Bears still have all of their top picks for next year, allowing them to continue building a young talent base.
