Matt Eberflus is gone. The Chicago Bears will have a new head coach at some point in the next two months. Fans and media need to know what fate awaits GM Ryan Poles, who hired Eberflus and ushered in what has been a dismal three-year run of football for the organization. Many feel he hasn't done enough to justify keeping his job. However, the McCaskey family has proven reluctant to move on from top executives easily. Team president Kevin Warren said the plan was for Poles to lead the next search.
Despite some rumors about a possible pivot depending on which coaching candidate they like, Albert Breer of the MMQB confirmed that this is the plan. Ownership still believes in Poles and trusts him to find the right person to lead the franchise.
The biggest question that prime candidates have is about the role of team president Kevin Warren, and I think the McCaskey family is aware of that. To that end, GM Ryan Poles is set up to run point on the search, and I’m told it’s because that’s the way ownership wants it. Warren will have a seat at the table and a major say, of course. But Poles will, too, as the McCaskeys seek alignment on the football operations side.
This isn't overly shocking. McCaskey kept Ryan Pace even though he had only won 14 games in his first three seasons with the organization. Poles at least seems to have accomplished what he did by acquiring a legitimate quarterback. SearSTower, a prominent Twitter profile that has delivered some accurate info lately, backed up Breer's statement.
Ryan Poles' survival doesn't totally kill the Bears head coach plans.
However, it does make their sales pitch more important. People will immediately assume that this decision will cost the organization Ben Johnson, the widely perceived top candidate of this cycle. It is well-known the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is looking for alignment with the GM to ensure franchise stability. Most took that to mean he wants his own guy. However, SearSTower added a vital wrinkle. He is willing to work with Poles, but only after the two meet during the interview process. If the right impressions are made, Johnson would take the job.
Like it or not, everything points to the Bears taking this course. Ryan Poles deserves a lot of criticism. Still, his team was competitive against several current playoff contenders. They lost their first three matchups to Detroit, Minnesota, and Green Bay by a combined seven points. They had Washington beat before the Hail Mary fiasco. It feels like this roster is better than the current record suggests. A good head coach and some needed upgrades in the trenches might push them over the hump.
