Former GM Gives Chicago Bears Off-Season A Stellar Review

Ryan Poles knew the pressure was on when the 2023 off-season began. He'd spent 2022 tearing down an old and expensive roster for the Chicago Bears. This year would be about taking the crucial first step back toward relevance. He couldn't afford to screw it up. In such situations, it's often typical for a young GM to get aggressive. Poles didn't do that. He stayed disciplined in his approach, spending carefully in free agency and working to stockpile more assets by trading the #1 overall pick to Carolina. This netted him three extra picks and wide receiver, D.J. Moore.

Chicago made a strong initial push in free agency, netting key veterans like Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Billings, and Nate Davis. Last but not least, Poles added ten players via the draft, headlined by hulking right tackle Darnell Wright. Poles is satisfied with the work done, believing the Bears got bigger, stronger, and more athletic. The question is whether people outside Halas Hall agree. One notable name firmly in agreement with Poles' stance is former Minnesota Vikings GM, Rick Spielman.

He told Mully & Haugh that nobody benefitted more from this Bears off-season than their quarterback.

"I think they did a phenomenal job, not only in the draft but their whole planning and process this whole offseason. Look what they were able to get accomplished in the draft. They fill a lot of needs. But the one thing I noticed was they filled them with high-character guys. Guys that they want to build a culture with. I thought moving back one and still getting Darnell Wright, he'll be a plug-and-play guy all the way. Probably a Day 1 starter for them.

Then they addressed some of the offensive line woes by going out and getting Nate Davis in free agency. So they should be much better up front. You look at how much better they are at the receiver positions. So I think everything that they were able to accomplish, they're setting up Justin Fields for success. Now it's up to him to take advantage of everything that they've been able to do."

The Chicago Bears did what they set out to do.

Everybody expected them to pivot away from Justin Fields, resetting the quarterback position again. Poles refused. He decided to take the logical route. The best way to get a fair evaluation of Fields was by surrounding him with as much talent as possible. Since the trade deadline last year, the Bears have added:

• Chase Claypool
• D.J. Moore
• D'Onta Foreman
• Robert Tonyan
• Nate Davis
• Darnell Wright

The first five of those names have proven track records in the NFL. Wright has a case for being the best tackle in the entire 2023 draft class. There is no telling what the ceiling will be for this group, but it is a safe bet the floor got raised with their arrivals. This Chicago Bears offense is significantly better and deeper than it was last season. If Fields can't take another step forward this year, then it will be time for the organization to consider all options going into 2024.