General manager Ryan Poles’ tenure with the Chicago Bears has been marked with more mistakes than wins and occasional luck. His best moment was sending the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for DJ Moore and draft picks, one of which would turn into Caleb Williams.
The many mistakes are part of why the Bears have won 15 games in three seasons. That result has CEO Kevin Warren working jointly with Poles to find Chicago’s next head coach. That, and, Poles’ players complained about the culture the previous coaching staff installed.
Which leads us to…
The Chicago Bears made a mistake in 2023
Bears fans were complaining on Sunday about Poles for another mistake he made in the 2023 draft. The Bears traded away the No. 9 pick in the draft to the Philadelphia Eagles, handing their GM Howie Roseman the top prospect in the draft, defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Carter fell in the draft due to off-the-field issues, and Poles suggested character issues were the reason why he passed on Carter to draft left tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 pick.
Carter was a game-changer in the Eagles’ 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round on Sunday.
JALEN CARTER IS THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN FOOTBALL.
AT THE PERFECT MOMENT CARTER PUNCHES THE BALL LOOSE AND FORCES A FUMBLE.
🤯🤯🤯
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 19, 2025
The defensive line on both teams stood out on the snowy grass at Lincoln Financial Field. Rams rookie defensive end Jared Verse recorded two sacks of Jalen Hurts. Rams second-year defensive tackle Kobie Turner added six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss to his postseason stats.
Poles could have taken all three.
Instead, the Bears have Wright, punter Tory Taylor, and a couch to watch postseason games on.
Jalen Carter took over in the divisional round
While Saquon Barkley’s 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns will be the national media’s argument for the Eagles’ win, it was Carter’s heroics that kept Philadelphia’s playoff dreams alive. He forced a fumble of Kyren Williams and recorded two sacks of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford–including one on Los Angeles’ penultimate offensive play of the game that would make it fourth and 11.
THE BIG DAWG IS HUNGRY!
JALEN CARTER SACK 😤#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/xReEEiux7Y— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
Bears fans on social media had gripes for Poles’ mistake of passing up Carter.
Ryan Poles put on blast by Bears fans
“The Bears traded out of their pick to draft Jalen Carter and chose Darnell Weight instead. Just another example of a bad organization making bad decisions,” wrote a fan.
“Colts draft an awful QB • “Tyree Wilson” • Bears trade back a pick and for a 4th round pick that WAS A PUNTER Nice job idiots letting the eagles get Jalen Carter for Free. While it was very obvious he was a top 3 BPA in the draft,” posted another.
“Another Ryan Poles masterclass to trade out of Jalen Carter for Darnell Wright. Wright ain’t bad but isn’t Carter,” suggested a fan.
“We all seeing Jalen Carter win the Eagles playoff games while the Bears Oline remains worst in the league? Should’ve taken the top talent Poles,” argued one commenter.
“Poles missing on Jalen Carter doesn’t get talked about enough. This dude stinks. Watch Ben go to LV cause we wouldn’t get rid of him too haha,” posted another.
“Saquon Barkley and Jalen Carter just won this game for the Eagles after Jared Verse’s performance nearly won it for the Rams and Ryan Poles passed on ALL THREE of them Take a bow, Chicago Bears,” wrote a fan.
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