Chicago Bears’ Ryan Poles explains hidden benefit of Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett’s arrivals

The Chicago Bears aggressively executed a plan this offseason.

After watching rookie quarterback Caleb Williams withstand 68 sacks as a rookie as Chicago’s defense was never quite able to generate a consistent pass rush, general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears clearly prioritized adding premier veteran talent along both lines of scrimmage at the top of the free-agent market.

Defensive lineman Grady Jarrett and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo were among the first players the Bears signed when the new league year began, and the premier center available on the open market, Drew Dalman, also inked a deal with Chicago.

The Bears’ big-spending up front seemed partially motivated by watching the Philadelphia Eagles ambush Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, sacking Mahomes six times in a 40-22 victory, and significantly by the franchise’s own weaknesses along both lines of scrimmage.

Ryan Poles and Chicago Bears valued Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett’s ‘experience’

In addition to protecting their own quarterback and pressuring the opponent’s Poles revealed a key reason behind the Bears’ aggressiveness, especially when it came to trading for Thuney and signing Jarrett.

“The beautiful thing with our setup now, especially the way the trades and free agency worked out when you have a guy like Joe in the building, he’s done it for a long time,” Pols told reporters at the NFL Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach. “We have someone like Grady Jarrett. He’s done it for a long time. That is an added bonus bringing those guys in because they can show (others) how to do it.”

Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Dalman each bring a stong veteran leadership presence on offense, while Jarrett has played in plenty of big games throughout his career and his presence will be an asset along the defensive line, as well. 

“And I always think it’s important that in order to do that and lead you also have to be taking care of business on the field (yourself) and still be productive,” Poles explained. “Because I’ve seen situations where there’s older guys who aren’t really in their prime. They’re almost in survival mode just trying to finish out their career and it just doesn’t hold as much weight. So when there’s guys that are actually playing at a high level and they’ve won a bunch of games and they’re addressing certain things, I think it’s just weighted heavier and the guys will follow and will listen to that.”

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