Within the wake of Matt Eberflus‘ firing, Ryan Poles’ status briefly became a talking point. The latter is nevertheless set to stay in place as general manager of the Bears through the team’s upcoming head coaching search.
“Ryan Poles is the overall manager of the Chicago Bears and he’ll remain the overall manager of the Chicago Bears,” president Kevin Warren confirmed on Monday (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “I’m confident in Ryan. My belief is powerful in Ryan.”
Warren noted that Poles – in place since 2022 – can be Chicago’s “point person” in the course of the strategy of finding Eberflus’ alternative. The Bears went 14-32 with Eberflus on the helm, and a definite lack of success in close games played a key role in the choice to make the franchise’s first in-season coaching change. Poles specifically mentioned the handling of late-game situations as being a consider Eberflus’ firing (h/t Adam Jahns of The Athletic).
Poles’ tenure has featured a rebuilding effort at various positions, including the choice to reset under center this offseason. Justin Fields was traded away before Chicago used the No. 1 pick (acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Panthers the previous spring) on Caleb Williams. The rookie’s play this season has been up and down, but it surely has shown signs of improvement since Thomas Brown took over as offensive play-caller. Brown is now interim head coach, and powerful reviews from inside the organization could give him a practical probability at landing the full-time gig.
Still, the Bears will after all have a look at outside candidates as well. A protracted list of staffers with an offensive background could possibly be on the team’s radar over the approaching months, and to no surprise Poles named (via Cronin) a development plan for Williams as a central aspect of any candidates’ probabilities of being hired. Helping Williams reach his potential can be crucial because the Bears look to search out stability on the QB spot and elsewhere within the organization.
Questions have been raised about whether or not Warren is actually leading the way in which for the Bears when it comes to key decisions. During his Monday remarks, Warren did say (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network) that Poles can have the ultimate call on the upcoming head coaching hire. That call will nevertheless be a collaborative one this winter with Chicago in search of a long-term solution on the sidelines.
