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The Chicago Bears have completely changed the conversation around Ryan Poles. Somehow, Bears fans still can’t agree on whether he deserves more credit or more criticism.
Poles took over a franchise that was in a brutal spot, then helped turn it into an 11-6 NFC North champion… He drafted Caleb Williams, built around him with players like Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland, hired Ben Johnson and helped overhaul a roster that now has legitimate expectations heading into 2026.
But then came the latest round of roster cuts…
The Bears waived 2025 fourth round linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II with an injury designation and moved on from 2024 third round offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie as part of their 53 man roster moves.
And suddenly, the Poles debate started all over again.
For some Bears fans, these moves are more evidence that Poles has missed too often on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft. For others, it’s hard to look at where Chicago was when Poles arrived and where the franchise is now and come away with anything but a positive opinion of the general manager.
Poles has plenty of wins in Chicago
Bears GM Ryan Poles
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Now Ryan Poles deserves credit for building much of the roster that got the Chicago Bears to where they are today.
The biggest move was obviously the trade with Carolina that eventually gave Chicago the No. 1 overall pick and Caleb Williams. The Bears have since built an offense around their young quarterback that includes players such as Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland.
Hiring Ben Johnson was another massive decision as the Bears went from a team that had just finished 5-12 under Matt Eberflus to a division winner in Johnson’s first season.
Poles also deserves credit for fixing an offensive line that was a major problem earlier in his tenure. Joe Thuney became a first team All-Pro after joining Chicago, while the Bears have continued investing draft capital into the position.
So if someone wants to argue that Poles has done a good job, there is plenty of evidence to support that.
But the draft misses are becoming harder to ignore
Bears GM Ryan Poles
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The other side of the argument starts with picks like Ruben Hyppolite II and Kiran Amegadjie.
Amegadjie was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This summer, he entered the competition for the starting left tackle job only to fail to even secure a roster spot.
Hyppolite’s story is even more recent.
The 2025 draft pick became the first Bears player selected in the 4th round or higher to get waived after just one season since 2012 4th round pick Evan Rodriguez, who got arrested twice.
Those aren’t the only questionable picks from the Poles era either. Velus Jones Jr. and Zacch Pickens were both third round selections who failed to establish themselves as long term starters in Chicago.
Still, the Chicago Bears are in a much better place than they were when Ryan Poles took over – That part isn’t really up for debate anymore. Whether he can turn that progress into sustained contention is where the next chapter will be judged.
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Garrett Klaus Garrett Klaus is a NFL contributor at Heavy.com, where he covers the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Carolina Panthers. More about Garrett Klaus
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