NFL: Chicago Bears Hire New General Manager

The Chicago Bears decided to clean house and parted ways with General Manager Ryan Pace. Ryan Poles will now oversee the Bears front office.

Author:
The NFL Draft Bible
Publish date:
Jan 25, 2022

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Following a season that did not meet expectations for a proud franchise, the Chicago Bears decided to clean house and parted ways with general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. With an aging but talented defense and second-year quarterback Justin Fields, the looming decision for the general manager and head coach is of utmost importance. The first step was taken with the announcement that Ryan Poles will oversee the team’s front office.

A hot commodity in the executive world, Poles garnered attention from multiple teams as he has been a part of the rise of the Kansas City Chiefs. A personnel assistant since 2009, Poles climbed the ranks all the way to executive director of player personnel in 2021 before landing this job with the Bears.

At only 36 years old, Poles is a change in philosophy by a Bears franchise deep-rooted in tradition. The years of experience he gained under the tutelage of Chiefs executives will be put to the test early, as the upcoming draft will be crucial to the development of Fields. Of course, he must first decide on the next head coach of the franchise.

After a rookie season that had ups and down’s including flashes of elite talent and unfortunate injury, Fields will be looking forward to some stability during the 2022 season. Along with placing emphasis on a coaching staff to hone Field’s skills, Poles will need to add more protection and weapons for the quarterback.

A season that saw Fields on the turf far too much, the Bears desperately need offensive line help. To properly assess the quarterback position, they need him to be on the field and distributing to playmakers. Poles will be tasked with finding multiple assets on the offensive line and the skill positions surrounding Fields in free agency and the draft. Once he has his head coach in place, the evaluation process will begin with the Combine approaching and the start of the league year on March 16.

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