The Chicago Bears entered the offseason with plenty of issues to be addressed. On January 5th, the Bears decided that it was time for them to move on from head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. Most, if not all, Bears fans were more than ready to get rid of Nagy and Pace and start fresh with a new head coach and general manager. After just 13 days of interviewing for a new general manager, the Chicago Bears found their guy, Ryan Poles.
Poles is a 36-year old who has spent his entire front office career with the Kansas City Chiefs and has held many different positions in both the scouting and player personnel departments. Most recently, Poles was the executive director of player personnel for the Chiefs, before getting his first general manager job with the Bears. Poles seemed to excel in his respective role with the Chiefs and this should make Bears fans excited to see what he can do. Poles has a very impressive scouting background. From 2010 to 2016, Poles held positions in the college scouting department, first as an administrator, then as a coordinator. The Chiefs had plenty of key draft selections during those years, such as linebacker Justin Houston, center Rodney Hudson, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, tackle Eric Fisher, tight end Travis Kelce, linebacker Dee Ford, cornerback Marcus Peters, defensive tackle Chris Jones, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. All of these players have made at least one Pro Bowl during their careers. Poles saved his best for last though, as the director of college scouting in 2017, he played a major role in selecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Poles also has played a role in some key transactions with the Chiefs such as signing safety Tyrann Mathieu, trading Dee Ford to bring in Frank Clark from Seattle, claiming defensive end Terrell Suggs, and rebuilding the offensive line, something the Bears desperately need. After just four days of being the Bears general manager, Ryan Poles found his head coach, Matt Eberflus, former Colts defensive coordinator.
Matt Eberflus is 51 years old and has spent his last four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. In his four years with the Colts, Eberflus’ defenses were top ten in scoring and total defense in all four years. They also ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed and second in takeaways per game. The Bears had a solid defense last season and with star linebackers like Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, and Roquan Smith, Eberflus should be excited to get to work with his new defense. Many Bears fans were fairly surprised that Chicago didn’t opt for an offensive-minded head coach that could potentially bring Justin Fields and the Bears offense to life after being one of the worst in the league for the past couple of years, but Eberflus was the right guy for Poles. The Bears also brought in Luke Getsy to be Eberflus’ offensive coordinator. Getsy is 37 and already has had 15 years of coaching experience. He spent seven seasons with the Packers, the last three being the packers quarterback coach and passing game coordinator. There is no denying that the Packers have had one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the NFL under Getsy, so the Bears are hoping that he can come in and give the Bears offense the scheme they need to be successful.
So far, this offseason has been a success for the Chicago Bears. Bringing in a whole new staff for a team that does truly possesses some raw talent, could be what Chicago needs to compete for a playoff spot again. It is going to be exciting for Bears fans to see what the new guys can do for this team. Hopefully, Chicago can become the Monsters of the Midway again under their new management and coaching.
