4 Key takeaways from Ryan Poles' 2025 NFL Combine press conference

With less than two weeks until the NFL free agency period begins, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles met with the media on Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Combine to give some updates. First, he passed his condolences to the McCaskey family once again for the recent passing of Virginia Halas McCaskey.

Then, after a few statements of gratitude to other team personnel, Poles opened the floor to questions, most of which had to do with the upcoming periods of free agency and the draft.

Here are the four biggest takeaways from Poles' answers for Bears fans.

1. Bears will be aggressive in acquiring free agents to fit head coach Ben Johnson's offense

Poles mentioned several times that Johnson has a 'clear vision' for how to make this team a contender. He stopped short of promising to be an aggressive spender in free agency, but after repeatedly emphasizing the clear vision given to him by Johnson, Poles did say that he believes it's easier to aggressively target free agents when the head coach communicates that clear vision to him.

It's fairly easy to read between the lines there. Armed with nearly $80 million of cap space, if there's a player that Ben Johnson is pounding the table for, expect Poles to spend the money it takes to bring him in.

2. Opportunity is aligning with needs

When discussing the strategy of whether to target certain positions of need in free agency or through the draft, Poles largely hesitated to say anything concrete about his process. However, he did mention at the end of his answer that 'the supply of players [in free agency and the draft] are matching our needs'.

This is a best-case scenario for Bears fans, where Poles can target the best players available while simultaneously addressing the team's biggest roster holes.

ryan poles — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

3. The offense is more excited than ever before

This one falls under the category of 'D for Duh,' but it’s still worth mentioning. Some of the questions posed to Poles appeared to set him up to declare Johnson as a significant upgrade over former head coach Matt Eberflus. While Poles didn’t directly acknowledge what everyone already knows, he did make an offhand remark about how 'juiced up' the offense feels to be working with Johnson.

Poles went further to say, "It's a totally different feel these days for the group that's in there." So they're not just excited to be working with Johnson, but it's a feeling unlike anything Poles has seen from his offense over the last three years. That's about as promising as it gets for Bears fans.

Caleb Williams — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

4. Braxton Jones does not have a guaranteed starting spot

Jones has been a key piece of the offensive line since he was drafted in 2022. Unfortunately, injuries are starting to pile up and he's going to have to spend the majority of this offseason recovering from a major ankle injury suffered late in December.

While Poles gave a positive update on his health, saying that he's progressing well through rehab, he also didn't commit to Jones as the starter. There's a very good chance Poles brings in someone to compete for that spot and Jones will have to prove that he's fully recovered and that he can be a franchise cornerstone.

braxton jones — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

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