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Bear Digest

Where Bears GM Ryan Poles Has Left His Roster at the Highest Risk

Unless there is some sort of unlikely late-summer move for more talent, the Bears GM has his guys in plact and he's become quite the gambler.
Gene Chamberlain|
Grady Jarrett celebrates after a big stop in a loss to the Detroit Lions last season.
Grady Jarrett celebrates after a big stop in a loss to the Detroit Lions last season. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles could still make a few moves but expecting one from now until a week before training camp seems pointless.

After his first year in 2022, Poles has never signed players or traded them in this period between the end of all June work and a week prior to training camp. He had to add a few players in 2022 as they began a rebuild under former coach Matt Eberflus. That included signing a DB who didn't make the team and then making a trade for N'Keal Harry, who caught seven passes that year and was acquired for a seventh-round pick.

Not many teams have activity in this time of year. It's that tiny period in the NFL calendar known as the offseason for everyone.

As a result, it's easy now to step back and look at what he's done in fashioning a roster. What's apparent is how he has taken three colossal gambles with this season and any of them can come back to haunt them.

The Bears made the playoffs and won a game. When you're a contender, it's the point where some teams will take risks to move all the way to the Super Bowl. Yet, Poles' biggest risks appear to be just standing pat.

Here are Poles' biggest gambles ranked.

3. Left tackle return

Although he brought in Jedrick Wills Jr. to compete at left tackle, the hopes all rest on Braxton Jones returning to pre-2024 form after his injury. All indications through offseason work are he has physically handled this and his new mentor, Terron Armstead, saw no reason it couldn't continue.

Except, there is one possible problem.

"His issue has been durability," Armstead told Fox/Chicago's Cassie Carlson.

During offseason practice, Jones admitted his conditioning and strength wasn't what he needed last year after his ankle surgery at the end of 2024, and it affected him in the second half of games.

The hope by the Bears is this ended with time and Jones is back. Even when he was healthy, Jones was average to slightly better than average according to Pro Football Focus grading. He had his moments, especially blocking the run.

Wills is really risky as a backstop to this. He didn't appear quick during the team's offseason work and didn't participate in full until late. He had an MCL injury in 2023, never really came back from it ijhn 2024 and didn't play last year. He said he had an alignment issue with the ligaments in the knee and it needed to heal fully. Has it?

Theo Benedet is third in line for the left tackle spot and they didn't trust him to start against the Rams last year.

If there is an issue with Jones' blocking or health again, Poles' gamble could lead to unforeseen moves like switching Darnell Wright to the left side or even sliding Joe Thuney over from guard.

Considering it's Caleb Williams' blind side they're protecting here, a more dependable backup plan should Jones continue to have bad injury luck seemed critical.

2. Edge rush shortage

Bears fans have been complaining since two weeks into free agency about the lack of a third edge rusher. Trading for a big name li ke Maxx Crosby or signing a free agent like Trey Hendrickson seemed unlikely because of their cap situation, but they could have found a way to fit Crosby in with creative financing.

Now they're approaching training camp with Austin Booker, Montez Sweat and the outside chance Dayo Odeyingbo will get over an Achilles tear or that second-year player Shemar Turner will get over an ACL tear -- and that either one can be an answer even if healthy. After all, Turner barely played at end before his midseason injury and Odeyingbo had one sack through eight games.

It could be a situation like in 2023 where Poles wanted to look at players in pads at camp to determine whether there is a need. It should already be apparent, though. Perhaps Poles is just being cautious after he waited in 2023, determined they needed someone and signed Yannick Ngakoue for $10.5 million. He made four sacks and missed four games on his one-year deal.

This already looks like neglect on Poles' part, and if he doesn't take someone off the NFL's veteran overpaid discard pile then the risk seems overwhelming.

1. Interior double down

Just like he is doing with Odeyingbo, Poles has double-downed on the big contract paid for Grady Jarrett. He's hoping for a bounce-back season from Jarrett to help stabilize the run defense and provide some interior pass rush.

Jarrett has had one highly productive season since 2020. In 2022, he had six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Those are tremendous numbers for a defensive tackle

Jarrett had 6 1/2 sacks and 15 tackles for loss combined in 2022. For his other four years since 2020. Now, at age 33, reverting to former skill levels hardly seems likely.

The risk here is so much greater than at end because on the edge they at least know they have former Pro Bowl player Montez Sweat and budding third-year rusher Austin Booker.

Jarrett is flanked by Gervon Dexter, who has never achieved required consistency as a run stopper. He has been a formidable interior pass rusher but last year rated 107th out of 134 interior defenders against the run, per Pro Football Focus' grading.

They did replace the backups but the answers were Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street. Both have been solid pass rushers, at least when it comes to backup tackles. Neither one has stopped the run well and Street spent last season until mid-November on Atlanta's practice squad. He wasn't even on a 53-man roster.

They do have an ace in the hole with sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg. How much do sixth-round defensive tackles usually contribute. Last year Zeek Biggers was the only one taken in the last two rounds with more than half half a sack. He and Green Bay's Warren Brinson had six solo tackles on the year. No one taken in Round 6 or later at the position had more than Biggers' total in 2024 as rookies, either.

This isn't to say they can't develop, but the Bears needed help at the position immediately after finishing 29th in yards allowed per rush and next to last in pass-rush win rate.

Yet, Poles has taken the ulitmate gamble with this collection.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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