General manager Ryan Poles acknowledged after the 2023 NFL Draft the Bears were short in one area, the defensive end position. Poles hinted Friday at his updated plans for the position ahead of training camp this July. The Bears emphasized the trenches in the draft, spending three of their first four picks on linemen. Poles could not capture a top defensive end after the run on edge rushers in the late-first and early-second rounds.
Poles suggested that after this year’s draft, the Bears could wait for elite help on the Edge in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Poles might be getting a little angsty in the offseason here in May. He spoke on the Bernstein & Holmes radio show Friday and gave a few insights about his thinking this offseason.
The Chicago Bears have been frustrating to watch
Poles admitted he was sometimes frustrated with the Bears’ performance last season. He said he didn’t handle his emotions well at times and destroyed property in the form of trash cans.
“There was times when I probably didn’t control myself very well,” Poles said. “Thankfully I wasn’t seen, and broke couple of trash cans.”
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said on @670TheScore that there was a couple of times this past season that he broke trash cans during games due to being frustrated.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) May 12, 2023
Ryan Poles hints at plans to bring in a pass rusher
The team, including Justin Fields, was frustrated by the mounting losses last season. Now the Bears might be looking to beef up their roster to have more success this season. As many analysts are suggesting right now, the Bears roster isn’t currently set up to make the playoffs. Poles knows the team can’t add all the depth this offseason they want, like, say, the Philadelphia Eagles, but the team could add a couple of pieces to make a playoff push.
Poles was asked on the Bernstein & Holmes show if he is considering adding a veteran edge rusher this offseason. Poles made an announcement on what the front office is currently doing:
“We’ll see, we’ll see. We’re working on it. We don’t stop working and looking at different avenues to bring players in,” Poles said. “There’s some options, potentially, you know, trade options. There’s also some guys on the streets still that can potentially come in and help us. We’re kind of looking at everything right now. Maybe something will happen sooner rather than later.”
Poles wasn’t asked about trading for a defensive end, so his volunteering of that information indicates he’s trying to find a trade partner this offseason. He also hinted that a move could happen soon. It appears Poles would like to bring in the pass rusher for OTAs practices in May or June instead of waiting until training camp.
A trade could happen anytime. But one key date for Bears fans to keep an eye on for the free agency option is June 1st. That’s when many teams will cut veterans to conserve cap space. That could be the time Poles strikes on bringing in a defensive end, or two, for this season.
Having a defensive end that can bust up passing plays might make the difference in keeping trash cans from being broken at Soldier Field in 2023.
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