Windy City Gridiron
Dan Durkin takes a deep dive into the three-year tenure of Ryan Poles to determine if the franchise truly benefitted from his time on task or if the mistakes are too glaring to gloss over. In part two here, he examines all his 2023 transactions:
Flush with the most cap space in the league (nearly $33M) and the first pick in the draft, the Chicago Bears were the center of the 2023 offseason. Less than a week after the 2022 season officially ended, Ryan Poles got a new boss – Kevin Warren.
Warren, an attorney by trade, replaced the retired Ted Phillips and assumed ownership of the Bears’ football and business operations. In terms of football decisions, the relationship between him and Poles was pitched as “collaborative,” which left room for interpretation and how it would work in practice.
The biggest acquisition of the offseason — and Poles’ career — was made shortly after the NFL combine. He was snubbed by the Panthers in 2021 for their open general manager position. That job went to Scott Fitterer. Like Michael Jordan, he seemed to take that a bit personally.
Poles drew upon the inside knowledge he gained during his interview with Panthers owner David Tepper. He knew the organization’s desperation to get the quarterback position settled and bled Fitterer. The first-overall selection in 2023 was turned into wide receiver DJ Moore, the Panthers’ 2023 first-round pick (ninth overall), 2023 second-round pick (56th overall), 2024 first-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick and 2025 second-round pick.
This was undoubtedly a massive haul that had/has the potential to change the trajectory of the organization for years to come, provided Poles’ selections turn into cornerstone pieces for the franchise.
Getting Fitterer to throw in Moore was a coup. Not only did it give the Bears a legitimate wide receiver, it severely weakened an already talent-deficient Panthers offense. Any Panthers decline directly benefits the Bears’ 2024 first-round pick.
Despite being flush with cash, the pending free-agent class was weak overall and lacked star power. The top offensive line options included players like tackles Mike McGlinchey, Jawaan Taylor, Orlando Brown Jr., Kaleb McGary and guard Ben Powers. On defense, Javon Hargrave was the top available option to fill the void at three-technique. Linemen always earn a premium in free agency. But Poles had the money to set a market as he saw fit.
In terms of the Bears’ own unrestricted free agents, David Montgomery was the decision point. Poles let him test the market, and just a day into free agency, he signed with the Detroit Lions and is thriving. No doubt he’s playing behind a better line, scheme and play caller, but his individual productivity is outstanding. In 28 games, he’s scored 26 touchdowns, earning him a contract extension. Lions coach Dan Campbell called him, “everything you want in a back.” Another hole on the Bears’ roster was created.
In the end, these were the top-five contracts Poles inked:
