Here are the best – and worst – moves the Chicago Bears have made under Ryan Poles

LAKE FOREST – There’s nobody else to blame. Some Chicago Bears fans have begun to question whether third-year general manager Ryan Poles is the right man for the job.

The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus in November. Since then, the team has looked worse and worse. It’s apparent that this group still has a ways to go – and fans are frustrated.

Here’s a look back at the best and worst moves that Poles has made over nearly three years in charge of the team.

Note: These moves are arranged chronologically.

The best moves

Dismantling the team he inherited

Let’s start at the beginning. As painful as it was to say goodbye to Pro Bowl defenders like Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks, dismantling the team that his predecessor Ryan Pace built was necessary. The Bears had been in a tough salary cap situation in 2022. Shedding expensive contracts was necessary. The Bears were overdue for a true rebuild and they found a GM with a plan to do it. Trading Mack in March 2022 signaled the beginning of a rebuild.

Trading the No. 1 pick in 2023

The Bears earned the No. 1 overall pick thanks to a 3-14 season in Poles' first year in 2022. At the time, Poles felt comfortable moving forward with Justin Fields as his quarterback. He traded the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to Carolina in exchange for DJ Moore and four draft picks. With some luck, the Bears landed the No. 1 overall pick again when the Panthers had the NFL’s worst record in 2023.

The Bears used those draft picks to select quarterback Caleb Williams, right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and they hold the Panthers' 2025 second-round pick.

Trading for DE Montez Sweat

At the trade deadline in 2023, Poles sent a second-round pick to Washington in exchange for pass rusher Montez Sweat. Sweat instantly upgraded a lackluster pass rush and earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2023. Even though Sweat has been unproductive late in the 2024 season, he remains a cornerstone of this defense moving forward. He will be valuable in any system, no matter what the team’s next coach wants to run on defense.

Drafting QB Caleb Williams (and moving on from Justin Fields)

No matter what happens in the future, Poles' career will forever be judged on how Williams fares over the next few years. Moving on from Fields looks like it was the right move. Williams is already a better passer than Fields was.

Despite all the negativity that has permeated this team, Williams remains a bright spot. He’s what will make Chicago a top destination for potential head coaches. Not the Bears' tradition or the state-of-the-art Halas Hall or anything Kevin Warren brings to the table. Williams is the team’s most valuable asset.

No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels has played well and deserves credit for helping his team to double-digit victories. But statistically, Williams is not far behind and he has nearly matched Daniels' output despite the moving parts on the coaching staff.

The worst moves

Trading for WR Chase Claypool

The Bears bet big on Chase Claypool. Poles traded a second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Claypool at the 2022 trade deadline. Fields needed another weapon on offense. The Bears hoped Claypool could be that. The pick they traded wound up being the No. 32 overall selection in 2023.

Claypool didn’t provide much in 2022, then had at least one high-profile incident during training camp 2023. Then, less than a month into the season, Claypool said publicly that the Bears weren’t using him properly. Poles traded him away a week later for next to nothing.

This trade was, frankly, a complete disaster. In 2024, Claypool spent part of training camp with Buffalo, but the Bills cut him in August and he hasn’t signed with a team since.

Signing Nate Davis

On paper, Nate Davis looked like a solid addition to the offensive line. Davis started 54 games for the Tennessee Titans over four years. He was a productive interior lineman who fit the style of offense the Bears were trying to run. They gave him a three-year, $30 million contract.

Davis started just 13 games over two seasons before the Bears cut him in November. Davis could, at times, be described as uninterested. He frequently missed practice and was often injured. It’s telling that no team has signed him since the Bears cut him.

Not swinging big on the offensive line

Speaking about his offensive line in August, Poles said it was “probably the best depth I’ve ever had.” That depth has been tested again and again in 2024. Davis and Ryan Bates, both expected to be in the starting five, started just two games each.

In retrospect, it’s easy to point to the offensive line and say that the Bears needed to think bigger. Depth is vitally important, but talent is too. Does this team have a single elite offensive lineman? The Bears should’ve taken a much harder look at left tackle. And while Poles made a change at center, adding Bates and Coleman Shelton hasn’t moved the needle enough.

Sticking with Matt Eberflus in 2024

Poles hired Eberflus roughly 48 hours after taking the job in January 2022. That in and of itself seems questionable. Even more egregious, though, was the decision to stick with Eberflus last January.

The Bears had a chance to make a clean break. Sure, Eberflus' defense played well down the stretch in 2023, but there were numerous high-profile coaches on the market ahead of the 2024 season. Poles elected to stick with Eberflus despite some obvious concerns.

Given the way this season has gone, that was clearly the wrong decision. The Bears fired Eberflus on Nov. 29 after the coach mismanaged yet another late game situation.

Poles now finds himself at an inflection point. If the Bears nail this upcoming coach hiring, Poles might solidify himself as the man in charge. If the Bears don’t, Poles' days in Chicago could be numbered.