Latest Bears Drama Now Puts Ryan Poles In Serious Danger

When discussing the top three spots of the Chicago Bears power structure, two names are squarely on the hot seat. Quarterback Justin Fields is 5-23 as a starter with a career 78.1 passer rating. He's thrown 26 touchdowns to 24 interceptions and taken 104 sacks. People can talk about the lack of organizational support, which is fair. However, good QBs don't struggle this much, even in difficult circumstances. Then there is head coach Matt Eberflus. He is now 3-17 in his first 20 games with the Bears. The last six have been lost by double digits. It isn't surprising to hear both of them may not have their jobs much longer. The one uncertainty is GM Ryan Poles.

He inherited a bad situation from the previous regime. It was a tough decision to basically blow up the roster and start fresh. Fields wasn't his choice at quarterback, so that situation isn't entirely on him. However, he did hire Eberflus. That alone is proving to be a significant miscalculation. It gets worse, though. None of Poles' biggest decisions seem to be making a difference lately.

• Larry Ogunjobi was voided as a free agent signing because of a failed physical.
• First-ever draft pick Kyler Gordon is on IR.
• Top free agent acquisition Nate Davis has played only one game and was terrible.
• Jalen Carter, whom he passed on in the draft, is already playing well.

All of those decisions aren't necessarily deal-breakers. Yet one is proving to be easily the worst of his tenure. Bad enough to where it might cost him his job.

Ryan Poles can't escape the Chase Claypool trade.

From a purely logical standpoint, it made sense. Chicago needed more firepower to help Fields. Claypool was young and had a proven track record. However, there were red flags from the start. His production had already started falling in 2022. Pittsburgh is known for identifying good receivers. If they were willing to let him go, it was a sign they felt he was a bigger headache than he was worth. Still, Poles gave up what became the 32nd overall pick for the receiver. His reward? Ten games, 18 catches, 191 yards, one touchdown, and a public quote calling out the coaches for not using him right.

It is more drama for a team already sinking in quicksand at 0-3. This is a mess Ryan Poles made. Every part of the misery can be traced back to him. He hired the coach. He kept the quarterback, and he traded for the ineffective receiver. The Bears have never fired a GM after only two seasons. However, at the rate things are going, they may have no choice. This year is bringing back dark memories of 2014 with Phil Emery and Marc Trestman. Poles has the right vision for the Bears. Sadly, his execution has been less than stellar.