Former GM Takes A Snipe At Ryan Poles

Most media criticism through the first three weeks of the Chicago Bears season has been directed at quarterback Justin Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus. That isn’t a surprise. Those two have the most control over the on-field product fans are watching. It isn’t good. Fields has more interceptions than touchdowns to start the season and has looked even worse than he did last season. Eberflus’ team has struggled with mental mistakes from the start, and his defense, despite several significant investments, looks as bad as it did last year. One has to wonder what GM Ryan Poles thinks of this.

He felt the team was poised for considerable improvement this year. He’d traded for D.J. Moore and added offensive line help. The defense saw two proven linebackers and a legitimate pass rusher added to the mix. Nobody expected playoff-level performance, but certainly something better than being the worst team in football. One person thinks it might be time to call out Poles himself for this. Randy Mueller, former GM of the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, expressed his concerns for The Athletic.

He thinks Poles should be getting more criticism.

“The most fault goes the way of the quarterback, Justin Fields, but the offensive line, including No. 1 draft choice and right tackle Darnell Wright — who is a guard if I’ve ever seen one — has been a disaster. As a GM, I think you lose credibility with the locker room when your top acquisitions are questioned. And believe me, players know when others are not performing. The offensive playcaller, the scheme and the consistently underperforming defense — run by the head coach whose expertise in that area got him the job — are all to blame as well. And it doesn’t help that the defensive coordinator had to resign after two games. It’s a mess.

This is a tough job for a first-time GM like Ryan Poles, who is still adjusting to his own chair and position. On-the-job learning and training is very hard in any workplace, but it’s especially so when running an NFL team. Adversity will hit most teams at some point during their season, and navigating this situation will take everything Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus can muster.”

Mueller can see the signs with Ryan Poles.

Nothing gets a GM fired faster in the NFL than not adding enough high-quality talent. During his stints between the Saints and Dolphins, Mueller only added two future Pro Bowl players. Both were running backs. Poles is still early into his tenure with the Bears, but early signs with his first two draft classes aren’t encouraging. Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Braxton Jones have each suffered health setbacks. None of the defensive rookie additions this year have helped much. As for Wright, he’s played better than Mueller describes, but it hasn’t done anything to boost the offense.

Then there is the fact Ryan Poles hired Eberflus. People will argue he was forced into that marriage by ownership, who had already narrowed the list of options to three before the GM arrived. In truth, Poles had eyed Eberflus for a long time. The decision was clearly his, and it’s been a disaster. Perhaps he deserves more time. Poles is one of the youngest GMs in the league. It’s clear he is intelligent and has a sound process for building a roster. Sometimes it takes a few years to find a groove in any job.

If 2023 continues on the track it has thus far, Poles may not survive long enough to show such growth.