Bear Digest

Ryan Poles was visibly thrilled listening to Bears coach Ben Johnson discuss the intensity of the offseason program

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was visibly excited as he listened to coach Ben Johnson talk about the team's expectations for the upcoming spring workout schedule.
Bryan Perez|
David Banks-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

When the Chicago Bears hired Ryan Poles as their general manager in 2022, he was thrust into a coaching search that was all but over by the time he took the job. The Bears' search committee landed on Matt Eberflus, and Poles went through the motions in what became his first coaching hire.

But was it really his first coaching hire? I'd like to think it wasn't. Perhaps it's because I genuinely like Poles and don't want to believe he could make such a bad choice. However, I don't think that's the case. Instead, if we judge Poles by how he handled this year's coaching search, the one that ended with Ben Johnson taking the job, it's clear that his second hire is actually his first.

The relationship between Poles and Johnson is off to a strong start. They've sent a clear message to the team and fans that the expectations for the 2025 Chicago Bears will be much higher than in recent years.

Those restructured and higher expectations were made evident when Poles and Johnson met with the media to introduce Drew Dalman and Dayo Odeyingbo as their latest 2025 free-agency additions.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson answers questions
David Banks-Imagn Images

Bears coach Ben Johnson isn't messing around this offseason

Johnson, when asked how he and his coaches can make the learning process easy for the Bears' new offensive linemen, gave an incredibly on-brand answer.

“It shouldn’t be easy,” Johnson said. “This should be hard. Spring should be hard, training camp should be hard.

“Anything worth doing is hard, so it’s going to take a lot of work, it’s going to take a lot of effort. In particular, Year 1, we should not be comfortable as we’re coming into the springtime.”

And while the answer, taken alone, should have goosebumps rising on Bears fans' skin, the way Poles reacted to Johnson -- his visible excitement for this era of Bears football -- was equally awesome.

Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson mean business. They've proven it through the way they've upgraded the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams. They've established through their free-agent signings that the defensive line is just as important to building a winning culture.

With an improved roster and a fantastic coaching staff in place, the excitement that Ryan Poles can barely contain is spreading to Chicago Bears fans as well.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI  —

More Chicago Bears News:

Published
Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

Home/News