The Chicago Bears general manager, Ryan Poles, was given a 5-year contract extension back in July. At the time of the extension, he was entering his fourth season as general manager of the Bears.
In his three seasons to that point, his record of wins stood at a disappointing 29.4%. That's 15 wins in 51 games.
The 2025 season has followed that trend thus far, with the Bears dropping their first two games, and the general manager's record dropping to 28.3%, by all indications, there could be more disappointment to come.
When the Chicago Bears appointed Ryan Poles back in 2022, they mentioned this was largely due to his "background and football expertise". Poles had spent some time overseeing college scouting in Kansas City and held the position of Executive Director of Player Personnel. Having worked alongside Brett Veach and Andy Reid, the Bears hoped that Poles could bring similar success to Chicago.
The reality, though, is that over the last four draft classes, only a handful of players drafted by Poles have gone on to make a significant impact on this roster. That brings me to last night, and the Bears' embarrassing 52-21 defeat to their NFC North rivals in Detroit.
The Bears had four picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, an envious position indeed. With those picks, they selected tight end Colston Loveland at number 10 overall, wide receiver Luther Burden III at 39, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo at 56, and defensive lineman Shemar Turner at 62.
With so many high picks, you'd certainly be forgiven for assuming that they may be given the chance to make an immediate impact on this team, while still tempering expectations given their rookie status.
Well, let's look at the impact that those four top picks have made so far.
Colston Loveland
Loveland was hailed as a game changer on offense coming into the season; however, in his first two games with the Bears' he has been targeted just three times for a grand total of 12 yards. This is hardly value for money for a top 10 pick, especially at the tight end position.
Now we are all aware of how it can take longer for rookie tight ends to develop in the league, given that they are effectively learning two roles; but that excuse cannot be deployed here if he isn't being targeted and the coaches aren't actively scheming plays for him.
Luther Burden III
Burden is a guy who could have gone in the first round of the draft if things had fallen the way he had hoped. Alas, he dropped to the second round, and the Bears rightfully pounced on the chance to draft him.
With all that said, his talent has been left untapped so far. In his first gam,e he was targeted only once for -3 yards. His ability and athleticism was witnessed on a 44-yard kick return in that game, but bizarrely, he didn't receive another chance to field a return.
Last night in Detroit he had one reception for 5 yards. He performed well again in the return game, averaging 29.5 yards per return, but for a player of his ability, he should be more involved on the offense.
Ozzy Trapilo
Trapilo was being spoken about in very high regard in the off-season, with many - including myself - predicting that he would take over the left tackle position from Braxton Jones, and be the guy moving forward. Imagine the freedom you would have with both your starting QB and LT on their rookie deals.
Since then, expectations seemed to have dipped internally at Halas Hall. How much contribution has the second-round prospect made? He has played zero snaps for this offense, and just the five snaps on special teams. Most surprisingly, he was a healthy scratch for last night's game in Detroit.
Shemar Turner
In Turner's case, he has been struggling with an ankle injury since the start of training camp. From all accounts, he is now 100% healthy, but he has not even been included in the Bears game day squad this season. A healthy scratch on both occasions.
Now, I can understand that given he has missed some time it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that the Bears would want to give him longer to get up to speed. In the same breath, this is a second-round pick. We expect guys like this to be given the chance to make an impact. Is his exclusion just the Bears being overly cautious? Or have they discovered that – despite being healthy - he just isn't there yet, and what does that mean for the scouting department?
So now what?
The fact that these four draft picks have not been given the opportunity to make more of an impact is an indictment on Ryan Poles. It brings into question the scouting set up in Chicago, and whether Poles can actually spot talent, especially as it relates to Top 10 picks.
Ben Johnson and his staff get a pass for now, after all, the team that they coach is the one given to them by Ryan Poles. I'd be curious to find out how much say Johnson had in drafting those players in the off-season.
The reason why this is such a concern early in the season is because of the success, or lack thereof, that Ryan Poles has in his draft choices in the previous three seasons.
From the 2022 draft Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Braxton Jones are the only notable picks from the eleven made that year. The first two received contract extensions, while the latter will likely leave Chicago next off-season.
From 2023 Darnell Wright, Gervon Dexte,r and Tyrique Stevenson have played the most out of the 10 picks made that year. We have seen relative success from the first two mentioned, but the jury is still out on Stevenson, even in his third year.
From last season, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are the standouts. The Bears only had five picks last year and the three not mentioned here have had little to no impact in regular-season games. Williams and Odunze could very well go on to have great careers, and I think they will. The issue remains that the number of successful picks remains low.
Eight players from a total of twenty-six drafted between 2022 and 2024 have played week in and week out for the Bears, albeit each contributing at different levels. Unfortunately, that leaves 18 players who have contributed little to the team. That is why when we see the Bears dropping healthy second-round picks, we start to question the process.
We need to see more of the aforementioned players from the 2025 draft given the opportunity to make a positive impact on this team. Given Sunday's display, giving those rookies that opportunity couldn't make it much worse.
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