Here are 4 takeaways from Wednesday’s session with Bears general manager Ryan Poles

LAKE FOREST – A marathon training camp is over. The Chicago Bears selected their 53-man roster Tuesday.

The attention soon will turn toward the season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field. But first, Bears general manager Ryan Poles met with members of the media Wednesday at Halas Hall to discuss the state of the team.

Here are the top takeaways from Poles’ session with the media.

1. This roster is deep

Poles predicted months ago that the 2024 Bears would be a tough roster to crack. That proved to be true.

This is year No. 3 for Poles as the GM of the Bears. In Year 1, the roster was in full teardown mode. Last year, the team was starting to build it back up, but still had a long way to go.

Now? Not a single undrafted rookie from the 2024 class made the roster. There’s a mix of wily veterans and promising youth.

“This year, by far from the first two years, was the most difficult time whittling this thing down to 53,” Poles said. “We had some really good discussions. A lot of back and forth, constantly talking about, worrying about today, but also looking into the future.”

Pick out pretty much any position – wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line come to mind – and this Bears team is significantly deeper than it was a year ago.

“When you go through cut-down day and you’re letting guys go, they’re like, ‘Man, I just want to be here. I can feel it. I want to be a part of this thing,’” Poles said. “I always look at it and I’m excited about it. When you hear from people inside the building, but also outside, it makes you feel really good about the progress that you made.”

2. Poles commends Eberflus’ resilience

Fans spent the offseason making jokes about head coach Matt Eberflus’ glow up with a new haircut and a new beard, but the new-look Flus isn’t just a charade for the cameras. The Bears’ head coach is more confident in his role than he ever has been. Poles feels it, and the players feel it.

“To set a standard and hold everybody to that is extremely difficult,” Poles said. “To keep a team together through adversity is extremely difficult. But, at the end of the day, what’s going to be awesome is that those things are going to be established. And then, when the winning comes, you have a stronger product because of it.”

The hope is the winning comes now.

To set a standard and hold everybody to that is extremely difficult,” Poles said. “To keep a team together through adversity is extremely difficult.”

—  Ryan Poles, Bears general manager

Poles commended Eberflus’ ability to adjust on the fly and his ability to build relationships. Eberflus had every player over to his house at some point in the offseason. HBO’s “Hard Knocks” caught a glimpse of that in the opening episode when Eberflus hosted players and coaches for a cookout at his house.

“That was done intentionally, it wasn’t just to do it and check a box,” Poles said. “It was to really invest in our players and build that trust.”

Poles said in January that there was never any consideration for firing Eberflus, even when the team was off to an 0-4 start last season. The GM has continued to double down on his head coach.

3. Offensive line could take next step

The Bears return four of their five starters from last season along the offensive line. They added two experienced centers in Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton. They drafted a promising young tackle in Kiran Amegadjie with a third-round pick in April.

“This is probably the best depth I’ve ever had,” Poles said of his offensive line.

The O-line was among the worst in football in 2022. Last year, with the addition of first-round pick Darnell Wright and veteran free agent Nate Davis, it was solidly middle of the pack. Not fantastic, but not terrible.

With a young core, the hope is this group collectively is even better than it was a year ago. The fate of Caleb Williams’ rookie season probably depends on it.

Poles said he told at least one offensive lineman who didn’t make the cut that he did everything right, there simply wasn’t enough room for everyone.

‘You want your starting five to be healthy and ready to go, but I feel more confident in the depth of our offensive line than I ever have before,” Poles said.

4. Poles has guarded optimism about Caleb Williams

Poles tries to keep a level head with all his rookies. Some of them come in as rookies and show some of the traits they showed on film in college. Others don’t.

All five of the Bears’ 2024 draft picks have shown promise.

“Everybody has been as advertised, or if not better,” Poles said.

With Williams, Poles admitted that this training camp was fun. It was fun to see the player he scouted for years come in and begin to make some of those exciting plays he was known for at Oklahoma and USC. But the GM also has to keep everything in perspective.

“I can’t ever let my mind go too far down that road,” Poles said.

Poles said he hopes Williams leans on the talent around him. As he said earlier, this roster is deep. NFL pundits have been debating all offseason if this is the best situation for a No. 1 overall quarterback ever? Whether it is or isn’t, Williams will need to rely on the veterans alongside him. He can’t do it alone.

“Lean on the guys around him, be instinctual, let those wild plays happen at the right time,” Poles said.