Chicago Bears GM says he hasn’t figured out what went wrong with 2024

After starting 4-2, the Chicago Bears are closing the campaign on less-than-ideal terms. Fans have been disappointed and frustrated beyond belief this year and it is easy to see why. The front office has voiced their displeasure with all of the shortcomings as well this year, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Ryan Poles talks about disappointing Chicago Bears season

The third-year general manager has taken plenty of heat for the poor quality of play on the field this year. To the same extent, he has owned up to the team’s struggles in what was supposed to be a promising season of Bears football. In an appearance on ESPN 1000, Poles addressed the season as a whole.

Via Peggy Kosinski of ESPN:

“Bears GM Poles to ESPN 100 on Pregame Show ‘it’s been a disappointing year… wanted to stay on that linear ascension to our goals… ‘. Say he is not discouraged but ‘a duck is calm at the top and kicking at the bottom… we are excited and we are hungry to get this football team where it needs to be’.  Says they haven’t yet taken a step back to look at what went wrong.”

#ChicagoBears GM Poles to @ESPN1000 on Pregame Show “its been a disappointing year… wanted to stay on that linear ascension to our goals… “. Say he is not discouraged but “a duck is calm at the top and kicking at the bottom… we are excited and we are hungry to get this…

— Peggy Kusinski (@peggykusinski) January 5, 2025

When the franchise fired a head coach mid-season for the first time in franchise history, it was hard to find the positives in any bit of the year. The Matt Eberflus era in the Windy City was a colossal failure, and the argument of keeping him or letting him go at this time last year was yet another thing the organization completely botched.

A season of firings

Before Eberflus was sent packing, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was let go without even making it through a full season as the Chicago Bears playcaller. Having Caleb Williams go through multiple coordinators, play-callers, and head coaches during his first season in the NFL was not what the front office pictured.

With the team entering Sunday’s contest against Green Bay on a ten-game losing streak, there are more questions than answers about what they look like moving forward. The defense has looked like a shell of itself since Eberflus was let go. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington hasn’t had a whole lot of success calling the shots, showing that Eberflus had a much bigger impact on the defensive scheme than anyone originally thought.

Only time will tell if Ryan Poles remains the Chicago Bears general manager after Sunday

Poles’ job security is completely up in the air after Sunday’s game against the Packers based on various reports. While he and Kevin Warren are doing their homework on head coaching candidates together, the biggest fish on the market could require Poles to be out of Chicago if he were to land the job.

Ben Johnson’s camp has brought up the idea of a new general manager joining Johnson if is hired as the next Chicago Bears head coach. The other team that is supposedly big on Johnson is the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a similar situation as the Bears, the Jags could seriously consider moving on from Trent Baalke if it means having a shot at Johnson getting to work with Trevor Lawrence.

If the Bears keep Poles and decide not to hire Johnson, some initial candidates have already been mentioned. Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings is a sure front-runner if Johnson is not the guy. Flores played college football with Poles at Boston College and Kevin Warren has ties to Minnesota with them being a former place of work for the Chicago Bears CEO.

The most recent name to appear in this search is Anthony Weaver. The defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins has gotten high praise across the league and apparently has the “leader of men” mentality that the Chicago Bears are looking for. While Weaver and Flores are both defensive-minded coaches, they can easily sway the front office if they interview well and connect strongly with the people who matter most.