What Ryan Poles Will Do At QB And Head Coach In 2024 And Why

GM Ryan Poles has done some solid work through his first two years running the Chicago Bears. The roster is younger, faster, more physical, and deeper than when he arrived. In Detroit, they proved that they can hang with good teams. However, it feels like they are still some key pieces away. Poles has two huge decisions to make when January arrives 40 days from now. He must figure out what he's going to do at head coach and quarterback. Both spots are in question, with six games left to go.

Matt Eberflus is 6-22 running the team, the worst record any coach has ever had through two seasons. His defense continues to fold in crunch time. Justin Fields has flashed improvement in recent weeks, but is it enough to convince Poles he has what it takes to lead this team to a Super Bowl? Only the GM himself knows the answers. Given the information available, I expect him to do this after the season ends.

Expect Ryan Poles to follow the traditional playbook.

Head coach: Will fire Matt Eberflus and hire an offensive-minded replacement.

This decision comes more from urging by Kevin Warren than Poles himself. He's clearly an ally of Eberflus. It just isn't working. The head coach can't get the job done. Everybody knows he must go. The next hire will be a collaborative effort between Poles and Warren to find a replacement. Common sense says they seek somebody out who can develop the quarterback position. Rumors are they may seek someone with head coaching experience. There are several possibilities on that front.

Jim Harbaugh is the obvious one. The former QB has done consistently good work building winners. Ryan Day from Ohio State is another name that could make sense. Bill O'Brien had success in Houston before heading off to Alabama and New England the past few years. Barring that, there are several young coordinators generating lots of buzz. Ben Johnson of Detroit, Bobby Slowik of Houston, and Kellen Moore of Los Angeles are the ones to watch.

Quarterback: Will trade Justin Fields and draft Drake Maye

A lot of Bears fans will be upset with Ryan Poles for this. Still, the signs are there. He didn't draft Fields. The young man struggles to stay healthy, still opens himself to too many hits, and loses a lot of games. Couple this with his contract running out of cheap years, and Poles likely doesn't see him as part of the big picture. Even if Fields plays well down the stretch, he will probably use that as leverage to trade him to a quarterback-desperate team. Then Poles will go after the quarterback of his choice in the draft.

Why Maye? This goes back to what we know about how the Bears GM approaches scouting. It has become clear over the past two years that Poles is big on physical traits. He targets players with full toolboxes, even if they might be on the rawer side. Maye is 6'4 with decent mobility and a cannon for an arm. He can make any throw in the playbook and has the build to handle NFL physicality. Poles will trust the new head coach to correct any technical issues the QB might have. Of course, much of this depends on whether the Bears land the #1 overall pick as projected.