Kiran Amegadjie
Getty
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: General manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears looks on during the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 17, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have a busy offseason ahead of them, and with negative $5.3 million in cap space, according to OvertheCap.com, general manager Ryan Poles will have to navigate through some tough decisions.
“I can tell you right now, we’re all excited for that challenge in terms of building this team back up, making tweaks, tightening screws on the process, and the people that we need to continue to elevate for us to get back to where we were and exceed that, and win championships around here,” Poles said during a press conference back in January.
However, something that hasn’t been talked about enough is Poles’ inability to draft specifically in the third round. Drafting in the third round hasn’t been his strong suit, and according to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, the Bears are expected to move on from yet another third-round pick: offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie.
Bears Expected to Move on From Kiran Amegadjie
Kiran Amegadjie
GettyKiran Amegadjie #72 of the Chicago Bears.
Schatz noted that if it weren’t for Amegadjie’s “Day 2 draft upside,” he would have been cut last season, and that it’s best he gets a change of scenery.
“It’s a shame to get rid of a player who grew up near the Windy City, but it’s pretty clear that Amegadjie isn’t in the Bears’ plans going forward. The 2024 third-round pick likely would have been cut in last season’s training camp if not for his Day 2 draft upside. His struggles blocking in space led the Bears to start working him at guard instead of tackle. He could use a fresh start with a new organization for whom he could play guard from Day 1 and hopefully fulfill his collegiate potential as a run blocker.”
Amegadjie struggled filling in at left tackle for Braxton Jones during his rookie season, and never won the starting LT spot after that. Chicago decided to move him to guard, but he never saw any game action at guard.
The Bears do not need a project switching from tackle to guard when they have Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Not to mention Luke Newman, who looked good during the preseason.
Ryan Poles’ History of Third-Round Picks is Not Good
Simply put, Poles’ history of third-round picks has left little to be desired.
In 2022, he drafted wide receiver Velus Jones (he was 24 when the Bears drafted him), who was infamous for muffed punt and kickoff returns, and was eventually released.
The following year, Poles drafted defensive tackle Zacch Pickens with the first pick in the third round, only for Pickens to eventually be released prior to the start of the 2025 season after racking up just 39 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in 26 games with the Bears.
Finally, there’s Amegadjie, who was taken in the third round in 2024. It’s trending towards him being released after appearing in just six games with Chicago.
Thankfully, the Bears did not have a third-round pick during the 2025 NFL Draft, but they do in this year’s draft. At this point, Poles should either trade up/down with that third-rounder or trade it away for a player.
Regardless, it’s unfortunate that yet another third-round pick did not work out in Chicago.