3 days Ago By Colleen Kane
The final Chicago Bears sights and sounds from Soldier Field in 2024 were fitting for what a chaotic and disappointing year it has been. Quarterback Caleb Williams being leveled by a Seattle Seahawks defender on his final pass Thursday, indicative of the dozens of hits — and 67 sacks — he has taken this season. The Bears finding yet another wild way to lose a game late, just like the Hail Mary , the blocked field goal and the Thanksgiving timeout debacle .
And fans, fed up with it all, chanting, “Sell the team!” at the McCaskey family as the Bears lost their franchise-record-tying 10th straight game. The Bears open the new year with one more game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Then they finally can do what everyone around Halas Hall has seemed ready to do for weeks — leave one of the most frustrating years in recent memory behind.
Well, the coaches and players can leave it behind at least. When the book closes on the season, Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles must dive into their most important work — identifying the changes, hires and moves that need to happen in order for them to turn the page not only on 2024, but also to a new era. If Poles remains in his post — as Warren said he would last month — his job will include learning from his mistakes over the previous three seasons to build a coaching staff and roster that are better equipped to elevate Williams in 2025.
Poles has a lot from which to learn. With that in mind, here are five New Year’s resolutions that the GM must consider to make next year a better experience for all involved with the Bears. In their 2022 search, the Bears interviewed 10 candidates — but that was before they hired Poles to be the GM.
Poles got on board and then two days later hired coach Matt Eberflus from a list of three finalists. Poles said upon firing Eberflus last month that “it was a really tough situation to walk into,” given that he didn’t know as much about that Bears roster and what it needed from a coach to be successful. He has better knowledge of that now.
‘Why does he get to save his job?’ Ryan Poles is in line to hire another Chicago Bears coach. But should he be? He also promised last month to cast a wide net and take as much time as needed to get the hire right. His loyalty to an unproven Eberflus through their first two-plus seasons together always felt slightly odd.
Poles was even dismissive when asked last January about the possibility of talking with Jim Harbaugh, who now has the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs. Poles needs to thoroughly consider all of his options and lean on Warren — if Warren isn’t already driving the show, which could be the case given how the president spoke of the situation last month. Of course, it’s not certain that Warren will prove to be better at helping to identify the right coach than his predecessors.
There’s plenty of reason for skepticism there too. But he’s one person at Halas Hall who hasn’t yet gotten that decision wrong. Perhaps together he and Poles can make a better decision this time around.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams handles the ball during the third quarter against the Seahawks on Dec. 26, 2024, at Soldier Field. (Armando L.
Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) Poles and Eberflus did go through what seemed like a thorough process in interviewing offensive coordinators last winter to guide Williams in his rookie season. But they ultimately landed on Shane Waldron, whose tenure with the Bears lasted only nine games . Poles didn’t have a clear answer last month about what went wrong with the hiring process, beyond saying that Waldron had communication problems — something the Bears had touted as a strength last spring.
Getting Waldron wrong meant Williams had to experience an offensive coordinator change midseason — and then he was dealt another change when the Bears fired Eberflus and promoted interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to interim head coach . It was the worst-case scenario when it came to Williams’ development. Hiring the right person for Williams is priority No.
1, so Poles must have a better idea this time of what will work in a pairing with the young quarterback. If that turns out to be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — or another of the coordinators far more successful than the Bears’ in 2024 — Warren and Poles need to do everything in their power to assure that coach he will be stepping into the right situation to succeed in Chicago. That doesn’t mean Poles and Warren should be dismissive of experienced, proven head coaches such as Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll in favor of the next hot offensive coordinator.
In fact, such candidates might be appealing given how the last two hires of unproven Matt Nagy and Eberflus played out, and Poles and Warren shouldn’t be afraid of hiring a coach with such a big presence. But if the Bears want to go with those coaches, they better have a strong offensive coordinator and staff lined up to come with them. (Remember, Carroll previously had Waldron as his OC.
) Bears offensive linemen wait for the play call during a game against the Patriots on Nov. 10, 2024, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T.
Meslar/Chicago Tribune) The offensive line the Bears started against the Seahawks barely resembled the one they envisioned in training camp. Left tackle Braxton Jones was on injured reserve with a broken ankle. Oft-injured left guard Teven Jenkins missed yet another game with a calf issue.
Center/guard Ryan Bates, for whom Poles traded a fifth-round pick , was on injured reserve after playing in just three games this season. Right guard Nate Davis, whom Poles signed to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2023, was cut , deemed too much of a headache to keep on the team. The only projected starter from camp to play Thursday was second-year right tackle Darnell Wright.
Injuries aren’t always foreseeable. But Poles had the information heading into the season that there could be issues on the line, with Jenkins’ injury history and the previous problems with Davis’ commitment to the game and team. That’s not to mention that Poles’ key backup tackles have been Larry Borom — who has struggled at times — and Kiran Amegadjie, a rookie from Yale who missed most of last season after quadriceps surgery.
It looks like Poles identified a good, developing player in Wright. But so many of his other offensive line decisions haven’t panned out. And while the line play isn’t the sole reason for Williams’ league-leading sack numbers, it certainly hasn’t helped the rookie.
As far as the roster goes, shoring up the line is priority No. 1 in the offseason. Bears defensive end Montez Sweat sacks Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith on Dec.
26, 2024, at Soldier Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) The thing about this resolution is that, much like the offensive line issues, you could see the problems coming since the spring.
Poles signed end Montez Sweat and nose tackle Andrew Billings to extensions last year but otherwise did little to upgrade the defensive line. With the departure of three-technique tackle Justin Jones in the offseason, Poles decided to rely on the development of second-year pro Gervon Dexter as a starter. He also didn’t sign a big name to play at end opposite Sweat, going instead with DeMarcus Walker, Jacob Martin and Darrell Taylor, whom he acquired for a sixth-round pick in August.
The result: The Bears are middle-of-the-road with 37 sacks, with Sweat (51⁄2 sacks, 12 QB hits), Dexter (five sacks, 18 QB hits) and Walker (31⁄2 sacks, 15 QB hits) leading all players. Coaches have frequently pointed to a lack of a pass rush over the last two months as one of the reasons for defensive problems. It didn’t help that Billings was lost for the year with a torn pectoral muscle in early November or that Sweat’s season, which has included some injury issues, has been particularly frustrating.
The Bears need a couple of big additions here in the offseason to get up to par. Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) breaks up a pass intended for Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Dec. 26, 2024, at Soldier Field.
(Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Poles has had only three drafts at the Bears helm, so the jury is still out on many of his picks. But his three first-round selections as GM — Wright in 2023 and Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze in 2024 — look like they can develop into at least good players, if not more.
Many of Poles’ second- through fourth-round picks, however, remain question marks. Nickel back Kyler Gordon, a second-rounder in 2022, looks like one of the best selections, and Dexter, a second-rounder in 2023, could get there too. Safety Jaquan Brisker, a 2022 second-rounder, is a good player but has had trouble staying healthy and has been sidelined by a concerning concussion since Oct.
7. Punter Tory Taylor , a 2024 fourth-rounder, has been excellent. Left tackle Braxton Jones was a good find for a fifth-rounder in 2022.
But there are a lot of potential misses too. The Bears already parted with 2022 third-round wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, a 2023 second-rounder, has potential but also had missteps this season, including the high-profile lapse in focus on the Washington Commanders’ Hail Mary .
Fourth-round receiver Tyler Scott, drafted in 2023, has barely played on offense this year, with one 5-yard catch. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, a 2023 third-rounder, has yet to become an impact player. Amegadjie, a third-rounder, always was going to need more time, given his injury last year.
The current players still might get there. But it will be crucial to see more impact players from Poles’ draft classes..
