And you wonder why the NFL is king.

Just your average opening to free agency with the Maxx Crosby trade to the Ravens that actually did not happen.

It’s the best reality show out there.

Here in Chicago, Ryan Poles played the slow and steady game. Now, let’s hope they win the race. The Bears’ results vary depending on how you view things.

First, the good…

The Bears signed some pretty solid players in free agency, improved their team speed and athleticism and were responsible and pragmatic.

The bad news…

Their biggest needs entering free agency and for the last couple of years have been edge rusher, defensive tackle and left tackle, and none of those have been filled. At this point, it’s hard to say if they’re better today than they were when the season ended.

In: Garrett Bradbury, Coby Bryant, Devin Bush, Neville Gallimore, Kalif Raymond, Cam Lewis and a second-round pick.

Out: Drew Dalman, DJ Moore, Tremaine Edmonds, Nashon Wright, Dominque Robinson, Olamide Zaccheaus and a fifth-round pick. It also appears Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard could be leaving as well.

Back to the good…

There’s an entire draft to fill those needs and months to go before the opening day kickoff; nobody should panic.

It’s an especially good reminder for me.

Last year, Poles restored hope by having a fantastic draft that directly led to winning. Selecting Colston Loveland and Luther Burden were home runs, despite early skepticism. Kyle Monangai and Luke Newman were really good late-round finds, while Ozzy Trapilo provided some stability at left tackle before a devastating injury. All in all, Poles has built a great offense and one that should be championship-ready.

Defense has been more elusive.

All three of Poles’ picks on that side of the ball failed to move the needle as rookies. Dayo Odeyingbo was a free agent bust, and while Grady Jarrett provided leadership and came on late, his best days are behind him, and the Bears clearly overpaid.

I’ve had some Bears fans tell me that spending on Crosby or Hendrickson would be frivolous just to make a splash. Meantime, the Bears have handed out over $110 million in guaranteed money to Odeyingbo, Jarrett, Gallimore, Bryant and Bush, and none help the pass rush in a notable way.

How lean are the pass rush statistics under Poles? In four seasons as GM, the Bears’ 125 sacks rank 31st in the league.

Back in 2022, the Bears had Kahlil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, Jaylon Johnson and Robert Quinn (coming off a franchise record 18.5 sacks), and Poles has yet to sign or trade for a player on defense better than any of them.

In four drafts, Poles has yet to choose a defensive player who made a Pro Bowl. The players he did draft have accounted for just 34 sacks, with the highest single-season total of six that Gervon Dexter accounted for in 2025.

This isn’t another Poles criticism piece, I’m just in prove it mode when it comes to simply accepting major pass rush help will come through the draft.

You can’t bank on miracle finishes and turnover bounces going forward. Poles must provide difference-making starters with picks 25, 57 and 60.

I’ve seen too many Bears seasons where we thought the winning would be sustainable, only to result in lean years. After Lovie Smith took the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, he made the playoffs just once in the next six seasons. After Matt Nagy won the division in 2018, the Bears dragged us through six more playoffless seasons. It has been 20 years since the Bears went to the postseason in back-to-back seasons, and 41 years since they won playoff games in successive seasons.

The trend must end this year, and it’s up to Poles to do it. The clock is ticking before Caleb Williams gets paid, and while in Joe Thuney’s prime. You don’t have to win free agency to win games, but the pressure is on to find guys who can pressure the quarterback in next month’s draft.

• 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.