A week after taking a heartbreaking Monday Night Football loss, the Chicago Bears were again pushed into the spotlight without ever taking the field. This loss was courtesy of general manager Ryan Poles, who is very quickly looking Jordan-esque in his ability to find misses or make mistakes when it comes to key decisions.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushed for the game-winning touchdown while amassing 71 rushing yards and adding 50 receiving yards in Monday's 20-19 win over the Houston Texans. What stings for Bears fans is that Irving was taken 125th overall in the 2024 NFL draft, which was three selections after Chicago drafted Iowa punter Tory Taylor.
As important as it is to have Taylor constantly on the field, that doesn't change the fact that the Bears' offense would look much better with Irving in the backfield.
Bears GM Ryan Poles Continues to Expose Consistent Draft Misses
Poles was hired by Chicago in January 2022 and wasted zero time getting to work and finding ways to make the lives of Bears fans more miserable. Perhaps the most notable decision that was made was choosing not to trade back in a loaded quarterback class. It is easy to argue that Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye would've been worth trading back a spot or two, allowing another franchise to take Williams and take on the current problems.
Less than two years into the careers of the respective trio, there is no denying that Williams has been a source of frustration. Things have grown dark enough that backup QB Tyson Bagent has earned more praise from head coach Ben Johnson over the last months than the team's starting option, pointing to what appears to be yet another Poles' miss.
This is in no way giving up on Williams or suggesting that the quarterback is a finished product. Rather, it is pointing out that it seems from the current production level the Bears would've been in just as good a position if Maye or Daniels were on this roster, along with an additional pick or two.
Decisions on Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, Kyler Gordon, and Matt Eberflus all stand out as obvious big misses as well. It isn't difficult to watch a game, paying attention to another Bears mistake that Poles inevitably will continue to make as long as he is in Chicago's front office.
Zero question, Irving's impressive night served as another reason why the Bears are going to need to quickly turn the page on Poles. If Johnson is going to be the answer and turn the franchise in the right direction, it is going to take an improved roster, and that simply isn't going to happen as long as Poles is navigating the ship.