Ryan Poles gets a lot of heat. Much of it is understandable. He hired Matt Eberflus, who became arguably the worst coaching disaster in Chicago Bears history. There have been quite a few rough personnel moves in his time as GM, headlined by the trade for Chase Claypool and the signings of Nate Davis and Dayo Odeyingbo. However, one must be fair. Poles has his share of victories too. He engineered the blockbuster trade that landed the Bears Darnell Wright, D.J. Moore, Caleb Williams, Tyrique Stevenson, and Luther Burden. Rome Odunze looks like a stud. Gervon Dexter is a good player. Colston Loveland is already showing positive signs.
Yet this year Poles' biggest wins have come on the bargain market. Most people will say the late addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the secondary was a home run. That is true, but there is another name who has been fantastic this year that not nearly enough people appreciate. Nahshon Wright was a castoff from Dallas who'd done little in Minnesota last year. He signs with the Bears at the urging of secondary coach Al Harris, and immediately gets thrust into the starting lineup after Jaylon Johnson gets hurt.
He recorded his fourth interception of the season on Sunday.
Ryan Poles continues to demonstrate his willingness to be flexible.
There is a strong likelihood the Bears never would've looked in Wright's direction if Harris hadn't pointed the way. To his credit, Ryan Poles heeded that advice and made the move, trusting the coaches knew what they were doing. This is why the best teams often have a harmonious relationship with the coaching staff regarding personnel. Wright was only ever supposed to be the fourth or fifth cornerback on the roster. Yet the team believed enough in him to hand over the starting job when Johnson was out.
He rewarded that trust with one of the best seasons a Bears reserve corner has ever had. He's also forced a respectable 88.9 passer rating when targeted this season. That is exactly the same as Stevenson. He is a solid football player and an absolute steal.
