For Bears GM Ryan Poles, cut-down day is only going to get tougher from now on.
He’s finding out what happens when you improve a squad from the ground up, and it was emotional when he started bringing players back to tell them they had to go.
“I think the other thing I’ve really learned this year is that when you’re intentional about bringing the right people on board, when you invest in relationships, when you invest time in building bonds and creating that group and that culture, the day you get fired is going to be extremely tough emotionally,” Poles said as he gave his “State of the Bears” press conference to kick off the season. “Because at the end of the day, you care about the guys and you want them to be successful, but at the end of the day, business decisions have to be made and you have to whittle it down to a 53-man roster. Which was difficult.”
The Bears’ roster has undergone a metamorphosis since 2022, and perhaps nowhere has that been more evident than at wide receiver. Aside from two on the injured list, Nsimba Webster and Dante Pettis, none of the receivers Poles had to draft in year one are on the team.
Instead of Byron Pringle and N’Keal Harry, Equanimeous St. Brown or Chase Claypool, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams can now confidently throw to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.
“I think the biggest thing is you have to have a certain amount of patience,” Poles said. “First, when you approach it, whether it’s free agency or the draft, we really try to do the best we can with what’s available. I remember the first year, that was a big question: Would you get a receiver? Do you need a receiver? We didn’t have the first-round pick and we ended up with (safety Jaquan) Brisker and (cornerback) Kyler (Gordon).”
Some Bears fans have taken to social media to say they believe Poles should have drafted receiver George Pickens or another receiver instead.
“We felt like (Brisker and Gordon) were the best players available, and we knew it would take some time to get all the pieces together and that we still have room to improve as well,” Poles said. “We’re in that second phase of things right now, but we really have to be patient, let the (draft) board talk to us and then be opportunistic.”
“A lot of cool things happened with the (DJ Moore) trade and the signing of (WR) Rome (Odunze). We took every opportunity we could to get that talent, which was great.”
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The attack line was also reorganized.
“This is the best depth I’ve ever had,” said Poles, a former Bears lineman who is himself an expert on the offensive line.
As evidence, Poles cited a conversation with one of the fired linemen.
“When we let one of the guys go on the cut downs, I said, ‘Man, you did an excellent job, I wish we could keep you here,’ and he said, ‘This is the deepest (O-line) room I’ve ever been in.’
“We’re more versatile and have more depth. We have ten guys. I feel comfortable. Of course you want the starting lineup to be healthy and ready to go, but I trust our O-line more than ever.”
The only injury currently is backup guard/center Ryan Bates, but overall Poles believes this offensive line could spring a surprise.
“I think the group can be really good,” Poles said. “As far as investing in them, (tackle) Darnell (Wright) was a first-round pick, we traded for Bates, who is versatile, we paid Nate (Davis) — who obviously needs to continue to work on his reliability and consistency — (center) Coleman Shelton is a great addition, he’s a glue for the front, with his ability to get everyone on the same page and play at a high level, which has been really good. I think (OL) Braxton (Jones) has improved and (OL) Teven (Jenkins) is playing his best game, too. I think this group has the potential to be special.”
They were known as a group that blocked runs. Poles sees things differently today.
“The nice thing is that all these guys are trying hard, and you could see that in the preseason. They’re trying to keep Caleb clean, that’s important to them,” Poles said. “It’s a really strong group.”
The internal team building process has also taken place.
“I think our team has done a really good job of coming together,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “From April 15th to today, everyone is working to bring our team together.”
“I trust the leadership of this team. I can feel the closeness and the bond they’re building, earlier than ever before. I can just feel it with these guys. It’s not just the coaches, it’s the players, the leaders. It’s everyone – the staff, the management, everyone.”
Eberflus described the first year as the laying of the foundation stone. Now the Poles are satisfied with the look of the facility and the way they have done business.
“I’m proud of the process we’ve put in place,” Poles said. “It’s not just about getting the best talent; it’s about getting the right talent. I think that’s what you see in this building.”
“I think it’s special, like the group of guys, it’s special and I’ve talked about it a lot, but even when you have reduced staff days and you let people go and they say, ‘Man, I just want to be here. I can feel it. I want to be a part of this thing.’ I always look at that and get excited about it. But when you hear from people inside the building but also outside of it, it makes you feel good about the progress you’ve made. A lot of hard work, a lot of time to develop the process so that it’s sustainable.”
The goal from the beginning was to build a sustainable winner. They believe they have achieved this with Matt Eberflus’s basic HITS principle. This is not easy for the players.
“I don’t think there are many guys in the league that would necessarily fit in here, that could understand how we work every day and the hardships we go through,” said tight end Cole Kmet. “But you need guys that are willing to accept that and take on that challenge.”
The next step is to prove that what they’ve built can win, because it’s been five full seasons and a coaching and GM regime since they did that, and all that team building and back-patting doesn’t mean much if the record says you’re a loser.
Twitter: BearsOnSI