Current GM Proves Patience With Ryan Poles Might Be Worth It

It's been two years, and already Chicago Bears fans have had enough of Ryan Poles. It's easy to understand why. In those two seasons, the Bears have won fewer games than any other stretch in the Super Bowl era. His head coaching choice, Matt Eberflus, looks like a major misfire, and several prominent roster additions haven't had an impact. Chase Claypool was a disaster. Most of his 2022 draft class has failed to take a step forward. Many believe with a new head coach and likely a new quarterback coming next off-season, it might be wise to do a full reset and dismiss Poles as well.

Is this wise? Constant change at the top rarely leads to sustained success. Sometimes, a young GM must make mistakes before making the right decisions. There is a recent example of this. Joe Douglas took over the New York Jets in 2019. His first head coach hire was Adam Gase, fresh off his underwhelming tenure in Miami. Everybody remembers how bad that turned out to be. Not only that, but Douglas also struggled to find consistency in the draft. Only one player in his first three classes has turned out to be good: Quinnen Williams. Meanwhile, Mekhi Becton and Zach Wilson look like major busts.

It would've been easy for New York to send him packing. However, they decided to stay patient. Douglas rewarded them with an outstanding 2022 class headlined by Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall. They, along with the inspiring presence of new head coach Robert Saleh, have the Jets playing some competitive football this season despite losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to an Achilles injury.

If Douglas can grow into his job as he has, so can Ryan Poles.

The two are remarkably alike. They both played offensive line in college. Both were born on the East Coast, so they aren't strangers to working in high-pressure environments. Each also has a background in college scouting, where they won Super Bowl rings. Douglas got his in Baltimore and Poles in Kansas City. If Douglas can survive a disastrous coaching hire and a lousy misfire at quarterback to still thrive, there is no reason to think Poles can't do the same. He's even set himself up for a potentially huge 2024 off-season.

Douglas had the benefit of holding a top 3 pick in his first draft. Ryan Poles didn't even make it into the 1st round until his second. Next year will be his first true opportunity to load this roster with blue-chip talent. Thanks to the D.J. Moore trade, Poles has the Carolina Panthers' 1st round pick in 2024. Together with the Bears' 1st rounder, he could end up with two top-5 selections next April. Considering how promising Darnell Wright already looks this year, it stands to reason he can find long-term stalwarts with those picks.

It comes down to whether he can learn from his mistakes with the Eberflus hire.