On the eve of the 2022 draft, general manager Ryan Poles pushed back against the notion he was rebuilding the Bears. He instead compared his task to that of a television home makeover host. He wasn’t tearing down the house, he said; he was merely doing his best impression of Chip and Joanna or Tarek and Christina.
“You might have to redo some countertops over here, some fresh paint over there,” he said then. “Some rooms are good; you don’t need to touch them.”
Turns out, none of the rooms were good. He’s rebuilt almost every one.
As the Bears veterans prepare to report to training camp Tuesday for Poles’ second season, they look very little like the roster he inherited. Only 15 of the Bears’ 91 players were on the team when Poles got the job. Two of those — receiver Nsimba Webster and center Dieter Eiselen — were waived by Poles and re-signed by him.
The Bears’ extreme home makeover continues apace in 2023 — and this time in Poles’ own image. Gone are excuses from Year 1: that Poles was playing the awful hand he was dealt, paying a league-high in dead cap money and landing a prime draft pick to put the Bears in better position for the future.
This is his team now. He spent the offseason ensuring as much, trading the best chip in the sport, a first overall pick, for what he hopes will solidify the Bears’ future.
A year ago, Poles could say the Bears were simply playing the quarterback he inherited. He can’t say the same this year — he doubled down on Justin Fields this offseason.
The GM had a chance to draft Alabama’s Bryce Young — or any of the other quarterback in April— and passed. Rather than take a passer first overall or trade the pick for a veteran quarterback, Poles chose to do what he should have done last year: surround Fields with offensive weapons and blockers.
In getting the Panthers’ first-round pick next year as part of the return for trading the No. 1 pick, Poles has given himself an escape hatch in 2024 if Fields struggles. The two top quarterbacks projected to be drafted next year, USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, could easily be better pros than Young.
Still, Poles’ decision to keep Fields as the 2023 starter falls on his ledger, not that of Pace. Sticking with Fields was bold, even given his flashes of athletic brilliance last year — he became just the third GM this century to trade the No. 1 overall pick.
Fields still has some familiar faces on offense; about half the Bears’ starters on that side of the ball were drafted by Pace. Poles traded for receivers DJ Moore and Chase Claypool; drafted tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright; and signed right guard Nate Davis. Only two second-stringers came from Pace: linemen Larry Borom and Eiselen.
The Bears’ defense has been built with the influence of Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, a former coordinator. Only four players on the Bears’ defensive two-deep roster were acquired by the previous regime: cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Eddie Jackson, defensive end Trevis Gipson and cornerback Kindle Vildor.
That number might shrink further. Projected to be a backup, Vildor is a candidate to be cut before the season opener. Gipson will get pushed even further back in the edge rusher rotation if the Bears, as expected, acquire a veteran pass-rusher before the season begins. Poles could add one before camp Tuesday, in fact.
It’d be one more Bears player hand-chosen by Poles — and yet another reason why 2023 will be about judging the GM for his ability to rebuild the Bears, not just tear them down.