Bears Need Rapid 'Stair-Stepping'
Like any general manager in any sport, Ryan Poles did not want to be pinned down.
Even owning the top pick in the draft and almost twice as much cap space as the next team in the NFL would not allow him to budge when asked at his season-ending press conference how much he can fix this offseason.
It's sort of like a gag reflex for GMs. You can't get them to commit to talking big about what they can do because they don't want to pressure themselves.
In response to queries about what he can with the first pick, he said:
"I don't know if I can answer that specifically, but I can tell you that we have flexibility. We have flexibility where if there's opportunities where if we can turn that into a lot of players that come in and help us, we can do that. If it's staying put or really being selective with certain people, we can do that as well. I know my expectation, our expectation, is that we move the needle to be more successful. We can win some of these close games and bring in guys that can impact this football team."
As per the cap space and ability to bring in players to help in free agency:
"The approach is the same. We're gonna evaluate the players. We're gonna put them in certain value buckets and we’re gonna attack it and get as many good players in here as possible. I think you make a mistake and say, 'This is it. This is the…' No, we're gonna approach it the same and be consistent so that we make sound decisions."
Sound or Cheap
One person's "sound" is another person's cheap.
Bears fans need to hope Poles was merely doing this GM gag reflex and did not get scared off by his one attempt to dabble in free agency with bigger dollars last offseason—the ill-fated Larry Ogunjobi signing.
Wasting the opportunity afforded the Bears with the draft's top pick, over $100 million in cap space and only a few free agents of their own to sign must be grounds for immediate dismissal.
Poles' translation of sound needs to mean they will find the most skilled athletes available on the offensive and defensive lines, at linebacker and at wide receiver, and then pay them.
An NFL team with $100 million or more under the cap needs to be the starting spot for every agent of NFL players who are without contracts.
The model has been formed and there are expectations for the Bears to follow it so Justin Fields isn't standing out alone on the field with the offense. It was set last offseason when the Jacksonville Jaguars took a quarterback drafted in 2021, the same as Fields, and spent enough in free agency while putting together a good draft class with a first-year coaching staff. They made a run in 2022, won their division and got into the playoffs.
The Bears need this as their goal. Jacksonville did it. It's proof this can be done with a coaching staff in its second year.
What the Jaguars Did
The Jaguars didn't even have an amount close to what the Bears have available this year. On Saturday they hosted a playoff game as division champions one season after finishing 3-14. They improved to 9-8.
Jacksonville drafted first and entered free agency with about $56 million. Within a day of free agency signings the Jaguars:
- Signed guard Brandon Scherff for $49.5 million (three years)
- Signed wide receiver Christian Kirk for $72 million (four years)
- Signed linebacker Foyesade Oluokun for $45 million (three years)
- Signed wide receiver Zay Jones for $24 million (three years)
- Signed tight end Evan Engram for $10 million (one year)
- Signed cornerback Darious Williams $39 million (three years).
- Later, before the draft, they signed pass rusher Arden Key for $7 million (one year). Prior to the draft they also put a second franchise tag on starting left tackle Cam Robinson and before OTAs began they signed him to a three-year deal for $54 million.
The Jaguars were widely criticized for overspending in free agency, especially with wide receivers. Their willingness to pay succeeded.
- Kirk made 84 receptions for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.
- Jones had 82 receptions for 823 yards and five TDs.
- Engram had 73 receptions for 766 yards and four TDs.
- Oluokun led the NFL in tackles (184) and solo tackles (128).
- Scherf, a five-time Pro Bowl player, provided the extra veteran blocking presence they needed in the line.
- Key was a situational pass rusher with 4 1/2 sacks and 20 pressures.
The Bears in 2022 had no receivers with more than 50 catches and that was tight end Cole Kmet, who made 23 less than Engram had for the Jaguars. They had no wide receivers with more than 40 catches and that was Darnell Mooney, whose season was cut short. The top producer among Bears wide receiver acquisitions was Equanimeous St. Brown with 21 catches.
Rapid Bears Ascension
For Poles to say they're going to be sound is too much like saying they need to gradually do something and shouldn't be pressured by anyone.
When over $100 million is available, gradual is a relative term. It should men right away.
Poles says he wants to "...stair-step this thing to the top, and then stay up there as absolutely as long as possible. I always go back to making sound decisions."
Jacksonville made decisions many regarded as unsound but they sure look sound now.
The Bears need to climb these "stairsteps" right away.
The Bears have every opportunity to be competing for the division title next year, with Green Bay obviously trending down and Aaron Rodgers old, and with Minnesota looking like one-year wonders because its defense ranked 31st in the league. Detroit is the team with a strong, young base and was playing best at season's end, but Jared Goff has always been prone to wild swings in play level while facing a little pressure. The Lions defense finished last in the league even with Aidan Hutchinson.
The Colts and Titans looked to be far better than Jacksonville heading into 2022 but one offseason put the Jaguars in the playoffs and they barely had more than half the cash available the Bears will have.
Sound spending needs to mean successful spending for the Bears this offseason, regardless of plans for stair-stepping.
The means are available to instantly build long-lasting success.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
