Bears GM Ryan Poles must set aside attachment as he eyes potential upgrades to roster
INDIANAPOLIS — The Bears spent years pining for a season like the one they just had, and it was worth celebrating going 11-6 and winning a playoff game.
That was indisputable progress, but no serious organization is satisfied with merely that. The Bears dug themselves out of futility. Great. But there’s so much more to chase.
“We don't confuse the postseason victory or exceeding expectations from outside of the building [as it’s] OK to be complacent,” coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “It's not. We didn't do enough. We’ve got to do more.”
If they want to do better, they’ll have to be better. The same roster, even with projected improvement by quarterback Caleb Williams, theoretically would deliver the same outcome.
That means Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles must detach themselves from players they love, who just helped the Bears have their best season since 2018, and be ruthless in evaluating potential upgrades.
Poles and Johnson face decisions on pending free agents like safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker and outside free agents, as well as what to do with the No. 25 overall draft pick, but they also have several key players under contract for next season that are up for discussion because of affordable escapes in their contracts.
That group includes linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift. The Bears also could save salary-cap space by trading wide receiver DJ Moore.
Poles dodged a question about Edmunds’ future, left options open with Moore and said he felt “pretty good” about retaining Kmet and Swift.
Edmunds is coming off a good season with 112 tackles, four interceptions and a fumble recovery, but the Bears need to clear salary-cap space to address more pressing needs like left tackle and pass rush. They can pay Edmunds $17.4 million this season or cut him for $2.4 million. It’s sensible to reallocate that money.
The Bears are a negligible $4.1 million over the cap going into the new league year March 11 and can clear more than that by restructuring some contracts. But they’ll have to dig deeper to create enough space to acquire a high-end pass rusher like Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson.
As much as technology has sped up communication, there remains no substitute for in-person interaction. When the Combine pulls the league’s general managers and agents into close proximity for the week in Indianapolis, things start moving.
Raiders general manager John Spytek, for example, was careful in his public comments Tuesday about planning to keep Crosby, but that conversation could be a lot different at a steakhouse. That’s why Poles stopped short of saying concretely the Bears will hang on to Kmet and Swift.
“I feel pretty good about [them] being here, but ... any new, unique opportunities that might pop up are usually going to pop up here,” he said when asked specifically about those two. “We’ll get back and sort it all out and make decisions, but I feel pretty good about those guys.”
Given that the Bears just had a top-10 offense for the first time since 2013 and Kmet ($11.6 million) and Swift ($8.8 million) have reasonable cap numbers for their positions, they’re good fits. Swift just had a career year with 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns and told the Sun-Times recently he hopes that’s enough to convince the Bears he should stay.
Moore is the trickiest puzzle. He was ultra-reliable his first two seasons with the Bears, putting up 2,330 yards and 14 touchdown catches despite the offense being a mess and the quarterbacks struggling, then slipped to career lows with 50 catches for 682 yards.
Poles and Johnson were adamant that Moore has been worth more than those statistics show.
“He was a guy we could count on,” Johnson said. “The versatility is something that screams at you. The intelligence screams at you and... just the toughness, the durability. A player like that is really, really valuable.”
That’s not the entirety of the debate. Having Moore is a positive for the Bears, but is he a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver on a team with championship aspirations? Will he play up to his $28.5 million cap hit, which is seventh among receivers?
That’s difficult to answer. It’ll also be difficult for another team to answer if it’s considering making an offer. And then the Bears would face the challenge of replacing him within their budget. They’d be better off betting on Moore, still just 28, bouncing back.
“We want him here,” Poles said. “We think highly of him. He’s a great teammate. He’s been productive consistently over the last couple years.
“I have nothing but great things to say about him, but this is the time that you have to look at all the different scenarios and see what can allow us to put the best team out there. He’s a guy we want here, but we have to look at all different scenarios.”
It’s painful, but it’s the right way to think. If the Bears aren’t content with what they did last season, they can’t be content with their roster. Some moves are more likely than others, but Poles should be willing to listen on almost anyone.