Aug 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles plays catch on the sideline before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears are off to a worst-case scenario start.

Rather than showcasing the promise seemingly inherent in the innovative coaching of a bright young mind like Ben Johnson, the Bears are already in a dreaded 0-2 hole. In Week 1, they blew a two-score, fourth-quarter lead to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy at home. In Week 2, they surrendered over 50 points in Johnson's Detroit Lions homecoming. So far, the only thing the Bears and Caleb Williams have been able to do well is score a touchdown on opening possessions (which isn't nothing, to be fair, but it isn't a lot, either).

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The easiest (reactive) thing to do in a situation like this would be to blame the Bears' coach and quarterback. Those are the two most visible people on any football team, so I get it.

In this case, that is obviously Johnson and Williams, respectively. But Chicago's problems go deeper than a second-year quarterback acclimating to an intricate offensive scheme and a rookie coach trying to shift the loser culture of an organization stuck in the doldrums for most of this decade. Despite some of their issues to this point, nothing we've seen from Johnson and Williams has been particularly alarming or surprising. For reasonable people, they're allowed some runway.

No, no, the 2025 Bears' core problem on display is obviously general manager (GM) Ryan Poles. This is no different from their core problem in 2024, in 2023, and in 2022.

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We are in Poles' fourth year as the Bears' lead personnel executive. He has been Chicago's most glaring issue in every single season he's been in charge. Yes, the Bears have Johnson and Williams, which could prove to be a dynamic partnership with more time, but it seems clear that the roster hasn't otherwise meaningfully progressed under Poles. The 2025 Bears are basically in the same spot as they were in 2022: on the verge of another likely, much-needed roster teardown to have a consistent chance to compete.

Among the 34 draft picks Poles has made as Bears GM, I would argue only four are bona fide hits a.k.a. potential long-term franchise players: Kyler Gordon, Darnell Wright, Gervon Dexter, and Rome Odunze. Yes, the jury is still out on guys like Williams, who deserve more time as a quarterback compared to other, less difficult positions, but that's not a great rap sheet of acquiring young, cheap talent. Do you know how inept you have to be as a talent evaluator to have a roughly 11 percent hit rate on over 30 draft selections in four years?

What was the point of that No. 1 pick trade from 2023 if this was what was going to happen anyway?

Among all the money the Bears have spent on the free agent/trade market in four offseasons, who, if anyone, is a building block that will still be on the roster in two, maybe even one year's time? Joe Thuney ... maybe? Dearest readers, he'll be 33 in November! That's not young at all for an offensive lineman, to be sure.

Worst of all, the Bears seemingly jumped at the first opportunity to give Poles a contract extension in July that runs through 2029 despite not enjoying a single winning season. It boggles the mind.

Barring a monumental step forward in the coming weeks, Poles' blatant roster mismanagement has put the Bears in one of the NFL's least enviable positions. There is a distinct possibility that they might not be competitive for the entire duration of Williams' rookie quarterback contract. Which, you know, is typically considered the NFL's best modern asset because you haven't paid your ostensible franchise player his new, salary cap-eating contract yet. Woof.

The Bears are 15-38 under Ryan Poles. They are 3-17 against the NFC North, the division he said they would "take and never give back" at his introductory press conference. At this point, it's hard to imagine either mark changing much for the better in a positive fashion. Poles has made too many missteps to believe otherwise.

Unless they eat his extension, he's probably only going to dig Chicago's hole even deeper.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Bears' Ryan Poles (not Caleb Williams or Ben Johnson) is getting heat

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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