Ryan Poles' First-Ever Bears Signing Is So On Brand

Ryan Poles needed some time to get situated as Chicago Bears GM. Most of the futures contracts the team handed out to players they'll want around for training camp were already handed out. Now that he is in the building and running the show, it was a matter of waiting for when he'd make his first official move. That finally arrived on February 11th when the Bears signed another futures deal with Willie Wright. Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports was the first on the news. What makes the signing rather perfect is that Wright is an offensive lineman. Poles himself played offensive line in college and briefly in the NFL. From the moment he took over last month, he made it clear that the line would be a major focal point for him moving forward. Nobody can ever say he's not a man of his word after this move. An excellent way to set the tone for this offseason.

*Watch #58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqh1Il-rGdQ&ab_channel=DeludedYinzer

Wright was an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns.

Though he failed to make their roster, he did end up with the Atlanta Falcons a year later. Interestingly that was the final season Chris Morgan was the offensive line coach. Now he runs the show in Chicago. So the signing makes a bit more sense now. The common scouting reports on Wright were a quick, athletic blocker with good hand technique. Unfortunately, his size (6'2, 300 lbs) and below-average power led to him going undrafted. This is likely why teams planned for him to move from offensive tackle to center. A position that is a bit kinder to undersized linemen. He never got a chance to work with Morgan after 2020 though. The coaching staff was fired the following offseason. Now he'll get a second chance, thanks to Ryan Poles and the new regime in Chicago.