The Chicago Bears are 5-3. Their roster is decimated by injuries, though. Anybody with an understanding of football knows those circumstances are a perfect breeding ground for aggressive trades. GM Ryan Poles has shown in the past that he doesn't fear taking shots. He gave up 2nd round picks for Chase Claypool and Montez Sweat during a time when the Bears were rebuilding. It went against typical logic for team construction. Poles felt it was worth the risk. No doubt he'd be more aggressive than ever now that his team finally has a chance to make a playoff run.
At 3:00 p.m. CST, the deadline passed. Chicago's only move of the day was swapping picks with the Cleveland Browns for veteran edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. It was a minor deal for a player who is not a difference-maker. He is depth. Good depth, but still depth. Fans were upset. Why didn't Poles take a bigger swing? That is because the GM finally demonstrated something he hasn't in years past.
Self-awareness.
Ryan Poles knew he wasn't well-equipped to be aggressive.
Usually, when you're a buyer at the deadline, you have some extra draft picks to throw around. That is what happened with Philadelphia and Jacksonville this week. Chicago only has seven picks next year, which is the standard amount for each year. Going below that number is not advisable for teams that want to maintain their roster with young talent. Then there's the salary cap. The Bears have the 10th-lowest cap this year at $7.49 million. Next year, it actually drops to $2.86 million. That severely limits the types of players they could pursue. Veterans with large contracts were off the table.
Lastly, Ryan Poles has shown that he understands the current state of the Bears as a football team. Are they one or two players away from a Super Bowl? No. They still have several areas of the roster to sort out, and one mid-tier veteran addition at the deadline wasn't going to change that. The smart thing to do was to keep the draft picks and continue stockpiling young bodies under Ben Johnson and his coaching staff. Forcing the issue rarely works.
Poles' predecessor learned that lesson the hard way.
