While March is always a dubious month for a general manager to claim victory in, it’s hard to ignore how dominant Ryan Poles has been, and what that might mean for the Bears going forward.
Last week, he dealt the No. 1 pick in the draft and stole a top wide receiver (DJ Moore) at a Hunter Renfrow price point in that deal. Through those actions, he assuaged any back-of-mind concerns quarterback Justin Fields may have had about the team’s confidence in him going into his third season. It’s hard not to see the parallels in how Poles is acting now, and how Howie Roseman supported Jalen Hurts over the past two seasons.
On Monday, at the opening of the legal tampering period, he also signed T.J. Edwards and Trumaine Edmunds to solidify the team’s linebacking corps. While these move garnered some mixed reviews, given that the Bears have so many defensive needs, let’s look at it from both an economic standpoint and a situational standpoint. While most general managers prefer to build their defenses from the line and secondary first, Poles recognized two important factors about this year’s market specifically:
