Chicago Bears Rumors: Ryan Poles appears to be safe

Rumors have increased in recent weeks that Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren may be preparing to make swift changes to the team’s football operations after the season.

Warren, after being inherited general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, is expected to be the top voice in the Bears’ football hierarchy moving forward.

This is a major change for the Bears’ organization.

Typically, the role of the Bears’ team president, previously held by Ted Phillips, was in control of the business operations of the organization while the general manager had full control over the football operations.

With Warren having a football background, gone are the days when the Bears needed to hire an outside consultant to be in charge of the hiring of their general manager and head coach.

After this season, Warren will be the one to make that decision but it would seem that the fate of Poles has already been decided. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports that there is reason to believe that Poles will remain in place as the team’s general manager after this season.

"Still, there’s reason to believe Warren will stand firmly behind Poles when the regular season ends in 30 days. From there, the Bears must decide what paths to steer down during what undeniably will be a landmark offseason for the organization.-Chicago Tribune"

That would be the right decision for the Bears as Poles, despite the team’s record in his first two seasons as general manager, has had a higher success rate in his role as general manager as opposed to that of Eberflus as the team’s head coach.

It would seem that there is synchronization between Warren and Poles. The next step would be to ensure that they are aligned with their head coach and quarterback. That is likely where the change will arrive for the Bears as given the likelihood of them taking Caleb Williams with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, the team likely will want an offensive-minded head coach to pair with their rookie quarterback.