Ryan Poles Adds Another Dancing Bear To Chicago's O-Line

Ryan Poles is a man on a mission. The Chicago Bears GM sent a clear message with his work on the offensive line this off-season. This front will be bigger, longer, and nastier. Darnell Wright was the leading example, bringing his 6'5, 330 lbs frame with him from Tennessee. That belied his surprising athletic chops. The same was true for undrafted free agent Gabe Houy from Pitt—another guy with size, power, and surprisingly good feet. The Bears have a type, and it seems Poles wasn't done.

News came through that the organization had selected offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka to join the roster via the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. It is a program designed to help athletes from around the world break into the NFL. Mbaeteka was recruited to it by former New York Giants Pro Bowl pass rusher Osi Umenyiora, joining the New York Giants last year. He spent training camp and the preseason with them. They offered him a futures contract, but the 23-year-old declined. Returning to the program guarantees him three years on NFL practice squads, giving him a chance to develop.

Umenyiora believes with two years of good development, he can be an excellent player. It isn't hard to understand why. The guy is 6'8, 320 lbs, and moves really well.

"He is big, strong, physical, extremely intelligent, very athletic. He's built to play offensive tackle in the league. In fact, he reminds me quite a bit of (former Giants teammate) Kareem McKenzie. He has the same temperament. He's very smart, but he's a very athletic player."

Ryan Poles likely understands the situation with Mbaeteka.

He is a great athlete with plenty of upside. That said, he also has loads of technical issues. That was evident on his tape from the Giants' preseason last year. His pass protection needs a ton of work, and like many taller tackles, he struggles with keeping his pad level down. Temperament is also something to work on. He sometimes plays a little too passive, failing to put that mammoth frame to good use. These are all things to be expected from somebody that only just started learning the game.

It shouldn't be surprising the Bears are willing to take this risk. The International Player's Pathway produced current Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata. He is a shining beacon of what the program can do. Don't forget assistant Bears GM Ian Cunningham was with them when the team drafted him in 2018. He undoubtedly informed Ryan Poles on the potential benefits of taking a long-term outlooked. Mbaeteka has boatloads of talent. It comes down to whether the Bears have the patience to let him fine-tune everything else.