Silvy: Ryan Poles shapes a quality Chicago Bears roster his way

Ryan Poles sat across from Ian Wheeler in his office at Halas Hall. The undrafted running back slumped forward in his chair, clearly despondent after tearing his ACL.

Poles gave him the usual GM pep talk and told Wheeler the team had been rooting for him when the standard football protocol abruptly ended.

“My door is always open, my phone is always on. If you want to talk, if you want to cry, I’m here for you.”

What?

That message from Poles showed you that it’s more than transactions and analytics for the Bears’ young GM. He still makes it about people, and his philosophies about culture are more than just talk.

It helps that Poles has been on the same side of the desk as Wheeler as an undrafted rookie and was once released by Jerry Angelo and the Bears. A year before that, Poles felt that same agony as Wheeler when he was carted off the field at Notre Dame Stadium after tearing his Achilles.

It has shaped Ryan Poles into the person he is today, and it’s on full display for the NFL universe to see on HBO. It’s also on-brand considering Poles is often transparent with the media and the fan base, not hiding all of the Bears’ plans like they’re some sort of national secret.

But this is more than getting stuck in your feels during an episode of “Hard Knocks.” Poles is good at his job, too. I used to knock the Bears for hiring guys who would make good neighbors but bad GMs and coaches like Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. Poles breaks that mold.

He has the Bears in position for a playoff berth in just his third season after completely tearing down the roster in 2022. Forty-eight of the 53 players on this year’s team were acquired over the last three offseasons. Three of those five from the previous regime, Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, and Patrick Scales, have been extended by Poles. Could Tevin Jenkins be next?

Poles acquired Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Darnel Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, and a second-round pick in next year’s draft from the Panthers all for Bryce Young. If Williams hits, as most of us expect, this will go down as the greatest trade in Chicago sports history. Poles isn’t scared to take big swings, even if they all don’t result in hits.

As NFL rosters became official Tuesday, there wasn’t much drama with the Bears. Velus Jones Jr. was the most debated name, which is good news/bad news. The good news is that the roster is in such a better place, there aren’t any glaring holes to be frantic about. The bad news is the same human element Poles showed with Wheeler is what’s probably keeping Jones on this year’s team. Let’s be honest, if this were a Pace draft pick that showed the same characteristics, Poles probably would’ve cut ties. But because Jones is Poles’ first offensive draft pick of his career, he so badly wants to see this through.

Here’s the problem, Jones has never shown anyone, on any level, at any position, that he’s a productive football player. Jones is already 27 years old, and after playing six years in college, and two years in the NFL, he has 1,675 yards from scrimmage and 16 TDs.

Those are his TOTALS from a combined eight years of football.

And like Jones’ ferret’s name, I don’t want to see the Bears “crash” trying to make this work. In 2022, the Bears couldn’t use Jones on punts after he had a fumbling issue. This preseason, he fumbled a kickoff trying to catch it in an unconventional way, and then messed up on punt coverage.

Keeping an unproductive/mistake-prone player isn’t how Poles built up this roster, so this is the perfect time to abandon his emotions. But not every general manager is perfect and Poles could still be learning in some aspects. I just hope it doesn’t cost the Bears an important game.

In 2018, as I was about to undergo surgery, just as the anesthesia was kicking in, I turned to my Bears fan doctor and said I was worried that Cody Parkey would cost the Bears at some point. A month later, it double-doinked. Parkey needed to be kicked off the roster sooner, but Pace ignored the warning signs. Poles is doing the same thing with Jones.

All in all, Poles has the roster in a strong place. He’s helped the defensive line on the fly by adding Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams. Last year the Bears had only 30 total sacks, if Montez Sweat can give the defense at least 13, I’ll take 25 between Taylor, DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, and Dominque Robinson. Then it’s up to the linebackers and blitzing defensive back to get me ten more and close to 50 on the year. That would put the Bears in the top 10 in the league in sacks and probably a top-five unit overall.

I’ve got this Bears offense as the best since the 2013 team finished second in the league overall. One key that season, the entire offensive line started every game. If this team gets consistent play upfront, they can be a top-10 unit as well.

We’re just over a week from starting this for good. I’m confident Poles’ phone is on and the door is open for the GM to continue making this Bears team a Super Bowl contender soon.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.