Ryan Poles Deserves a share of the blame for the Bears’ recent struggles

The Chicago Bears continue to get ready for their Week 10 opponent in the New England Patriots, as the Bears look to win their first game since October 13th. With back-to-back losses, the one person in desperate need of a win is head coach Matt Eberflus, who has been under extreme scrutiny from both fans and the media as they view Chicago’s head coach as the sole reason for the team’s recent woes. Despite Eberflus deserving some blame, another person in charge should be viewed as equally responsible, if not more, with that person being general manager Ryan Poles.

Ryan Poles has made as many mistakes as Matt Eberflus has, if not even more

Fans and media following the Bears’ 29-9 loss have increased their calls for Eberflus to be fired citing his 14-28 record and five last minute losses over the past year and a half. Additionally, Chicago’s head coach has faced immense criticism for the team’s offensive struggles and backing of embattled offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Although there mounting calls for a firing and heavily criticism bearing down on Eberflus, fans and media have been complimentary of Ryan Poles rather than critical.

The fact that Ryan Poles has faced minimal criticism compared to what Eberflus has received is highly questionable due to the face that Poles has been responsible for the roster overhaul of this team over the past three seasons and was the executive responsible for hiring the head coach. Fans will often hold the head coach’s record of 14-28 as an indictment for firing, but won’t acknowledge that 14 of those losses came in 2022, when Poles deliberately gutted the roster to ensure that Chicago could end up with the best draft selection possible.

Poles’ desire to tank for the 2022 season enabled the Bears to end up with the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, which they traded to the Carolina Panthers in a trade that has brought back several talented players such as wide receiver DJ Moore, Offensive tackle Darnell Wright, quarterback Caleb Williams, punter Tory Taylor, and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Although the trade has been a success, Ryan Poles has struggled to build the roster through the draft, which has hamstrung Eberflus, especially with the issues plaguing the Bears this season.

1. Coming into 2024 and through the team’s first eight games, both the offensive line and defensive line have been a weakness for the team and something that general manager has consistently struggled with during his tenure. The inability for Ryan Poles to consistently find quality offensive lineman whether via the draft or free agency is concerning as the executive used to be an offensive lineman himself. Additionally with the amount of offensive talented at the skill positions to help develop Williams as a quarterback, it is even more confusing that Poles hasn’t invested more resources to help build the offensive line.

Outside of the selection of Wright and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, Poles has failed to add any additional impactful talent via the draft. The best defensive lineman in Montez Sweat, was acquired via trade from Washington while most of Chicago’s current starting offensive linemen have been either signed in free agency or are hold overs from the Ryan Pace era. On Sunday, Two of Ryan Poles’ defensive end draft selections in Austin Booker and Dominique Robinson failed to record a sack, despite the team needed someone to step up with Sweat being inactive due to a shin injury.

The issues along the offensive line and defensive line matter significantly as Chicago’s offensive line has failed to protect Williams, especially last game as they gave up seven sacks. The Bears’ defensive line has been extremely susceptible to rushing offenses too. An improvement on both fronts is highly unlikely now as there are a litany of injuries to starters on offense and defense with Ryan Poles failing to provide adequate depth along the lines.

Ryan Poles may deserve the most blame if Shane Waldron is fired for poor play-calling

Despite the continual roster issues and inability to add consistent talent via the draft on the defensive and offensive line, Ryan Poles most significant indictment may be the hiring of offensive coordinator Waldron. Although Eberflus may have been more influential in the hiring of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy back in 2022, Poles’ hiring of the current offensive play-caller was a decision he likely made on his own. It is even worse when it was the top offensive coordinator chosen to oversee the development of Williams, who was seen as a generational talent at quarterback heading into the draft.

Given the hype surrounding Williams during the offseason leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, Poles could have hired any offensive coach in the NFL and they would have gladly accepted the offer to develop an elite-level quarterback. If the Bears offense struggles in their next two or three games, there is a very likely chance that Waldron is fired which would lead to immense scrutiny for Eberflus and the team’s general manager. A firing of the offensive coordinator midway through the season would be catastrophic failure on Ryan Poles’ part and really bring into question his capability to evaluate qualified offensive minds, especially with his ties to the Kansas City Chiefs.

If the Bears are forced to fire Waldron for inept play-calling and play-design, Ryan Poles should have to answer more questions than Eberflus. Although there have been immense levels of criticism for the coach’s defensive play-calling and his team’s inability close out games, he has at least shown growth as a head coach as his team went from three wins in 2022 to seven wins last year. Poles, on the other hand, has shown inconsistencies when it comes to talent evaluation for both players and coaches.

There are a lot of issues wrong with the Chicago Bears currently as the team will try avoid their third consecutive loss on Sunday when they host the New Engalnd Patriots, as injuries, roster insufficiencies, and questionable play-calling has been attributors. Although fans and media will point to Eberflus as the main culprit, Ryan Poles should receive equal criticism from those that are frustrated. The head coach may be guiding the team, but it is Poles who has struggled to adequately build a roster that insured with quality depth.