Are The Rats Abandoning Ship? Ryan Poles Loses Key Assistant

If you've seen NFL teams change regimes enough times, you learn to recognize the signs that changes might be approaching. A big one is seeing certain assistants within the organization quietly leave for jobs elsewhere. We may have gotten our first warning sign for Ryan Poles with news surfacing that front office member J.J. Cosh is leaving the organization to join Georgia Tech as their executive associate athletic director for player management. At first glance, the move isn't overly logical.

Cosh joined the organization in 2018 as a scouting assistant. Pole eventually promoted him in 2022 to become a pro scout and manager of football administration. He was clearly on an upward trajectory. Georgia Tech is not a school he's affiliated with. He went to college at Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy.

It's hard not to feel like this is somebody fleeing before the hurricane hits.

Ryan Poles is standing on uncertain ground.

His prized quarterback pick is playing some excellent football. One would think the GM is in great standing with the organization. However, there is a price to pay for hitching your wagon to maybe the worst head coach this organization has produced in the last 40 years. People will say Marc Trestman, but he at least had a .500 season. Matt Eberflus has posted a losing record every year since he took over. His .311 winning percentage is the third-lowest in franchise history and could get even worse in the coming weeks. Sources indicate Ryan Poles was the primary driving force to keep the head coach in place, against the wishes of others in the building. There can be no denying that blunder won't paint him in a good light once the season ends.