Chicago Bears: Ryan Poles’ resurgence of the Tampa 2 defense

The Chicago Bears need to get their defense back on track after 2022.

This is why Ryan Poles could not pay Roquan Smith what he desired. He was not
fit to be the engine to make the Tampa 2 hum. They needed their Brian Urlacher, a sideline-to-sideline athletic freak who could also take away the entire middle of the field.

Enter Tremaine Edmunds. While he has yet to reach his full potential, he is only 24 years old and his athletic profile is as close to Brian Urlacher as you can get.

As a captain and the play-caller, he consistently took away the middle of the field in Buffalo’s defense.

His ability to quickly drop into coverage after reading his keys is extremely rare. T.J. Edwards also has that kind of uncanny instinct. It is no accident that Ryan Poles targeted these players in free agency.

Ryan Poles is preparing to bring great defense back where it belongs. With David Montgomery now playing for the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears will need great linebackers to fill the gaps quickly in Matt Eberflus’ defense.

Once the trenches are addressed through the NFL Draft and the ensuing cuts that are sure to occur, the Monsters of the Midway will be back. When that happens, Ryan ‘King’ Poles can claim his throne in Chicago Bears General Manager lore.