Despite a fast start to his second offseason, Ryan Poles still has a lot to prove

The Chicago Bears are the 2023 NFL Offseason darlings. The splashy signings, the aggressive trade in the draft, the acquisition of a brand new offensive weapon for their young quarterback – they have done everything that was expected of them, and then some, this offseason.

However, what’s also true is that by and large Ryan Poles had a treasure trove of assets to play with and shape this roster in his vision. His signings demonstrate discipline, showcasing a preference for chasing the best talent over the premier positions.

As he enters the draft now, the attention has turned to how many key contributors Poles will be able to land in his second draft. In his first draft, he seemingly walked away with 3, one with the potential to be a cornerstone left tackle this franchise has missed for decades.

Ryan Poles has done a great job rebuilding the Chicago Bears in his second year.

Yet, despite all the positives there are to like about Poles and the job he’s done (along with the staff he’s assembled), is that it is still way too early to evaluate the kind of GM he will be. It’s easy to feel hopeful when a new regime comes in and tears down everything the fans have hated for years, and makes splashy signings to rebuild the squad.

Ryan Pace enjoyed similar affection from the fans when he came in, reset the cap table, and delivered us the 2018 season. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were lauded by the fanbase for simply having different names than Gar Forman and John Paxson, and their aggressive teardown followed by an aggressive rebuild was widely celebrated.

Despite all this, where Ryan Pace failed was his inability to dispassionately evaluate his own signings and draft picks in the same way he did when he took over the Chicago Bears from Phil Emery. After all, it is much easier to call out the mistakes of your predecessor than critically evaluate your own.

A similar thing has happened to AKME, as the Chicago Bulls spiral towards a dreadful play-in tournament spot, all signs point to a Vucevic extension which means more time with this underperforming core group.

This is where Ryan Poles remains untested. Yes, his first draft was mostly a success and his free-agent signings this year are mostly high-value, high-impact players. However, what about the Chase Claypool trade? Will he be equally willing to let him walk if he disappoints this year after spending the 32nd overall pick to acquire him? Will he pick him over Darnell Mooney simply because Chase was his guy and Mooney was Pace’s?

These are the questions we’ll find answers to over the next year. After all, Ryan Poles had nothing but flattering things to say about Roquan Smith and David Montgomery, neither of whom are on the team only one year into the Poles regime.

All in all, I am optimistic about the direction of the Bears, about Justin Fields, and overall about Ryan Poles. However, I wouldn’t be learning from the lessons of the past if I jump to the conclusion of crowning him the savior GM before I see him apply the same dispassionate evaluation of his predecessor’s decisions to his own.