Bears just extended Ryan Poles before this season but he should be fired
Ryan Poles is in his fourth year as general manager of the Chicago Bears. The Bears have started with back-to-back painful losses against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, and it appears the team is on a treadmill to nowhere — once again.
Poles has been the architect of this team since the start of the 2022 season. They have finished in last place in the NFC North in each of those seasons and their 0-2 start gives them a head start on getting to the cellar again.
Poles hired Matt Eberflus as head coach and he lasted until the final weeks of the 2024 season. Eberflus’ expertise coming in was on the defensive side of the ball and it showed in the way he handled the Bears offense.
The Bears ranked 28th on offense in 2022, averaging 307.8 yards and 19.2 points per game. There was some improvement the following year as the Bears ranked 19th with 323.2 yards and 21.2 points per game.
The performance was notable because the Bears acquired D.J. Moore from Carolina to become the team’s best receiver, and he developed a rapport with quarterback Justin Fields.
Poles drafts Caleb Williams as Bears QB1
However, Poles determined that Fields was not an adequate quarterback for the Bears and he drafted Caleb Williams from USC with the No. 1 pick overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Remember, the Bears still had Eberflus as head coach at the time and he was charged with turning Williams into a sure-fire NFL quarterback — and doing it right away.
The HBO Hard Knocks cameras documented how Eberflus and the Bears coaching staff tried to help Williams get the most out of his ability. Eberflus attempted to accomplish this by cheerleading Williams and telling him how great he was going to play. The specifics of teaching him the position were non-existent, other than teaching him how to slide when running with the ball. Williams admitted that he had no clue as how to do this, so Eberflus brought in a Slip ‘N Slide to help him learn this skill.
The performance of the Bears offense in Williams’ rookie year was one of utter regression. The Bears ranked 32nd in total offense as they average 284.6 yards and 18.2 points per game. Their offensive ineptitude and multiple end-of-game failures were the main reasons the team finished with a 5-12 record.
Eberflus was fired before the year was over, and that put Poles in a position to hire a new head coach. He decided that Ben Johnson was the man who would turn things around for Williams and the offense after he had done a brilliant job with the powerful Detroit attack. The Lions led the league by averaging 33.2 points per game and were 2nd to the Ravens as they averaged 409.5 points per game.
Johnson attempts to get Williams on track
Williams did not have awful numbers in his rookie season as he completed 351 of 562 passes for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also ran the ball 81 times for 489 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
However, the numbers did not tell the full story for Williams. He held on to the ball in the pocket far too long. This allowed pass rushers to either get to him and sack him or at least rush his delivery.
Additionally, many of his passes lacked accuracy. He missed open receivers and that cost the Bears the ability to make big plays.
Johnson was brought in to help Williams fix these issues. There were reports of Johnson losing patience with Williams during training camp because he was not improving in his ability to deliver the ball quickly.
He also continued to miss open receivers in the first two games of the regular season. Williams may have plenty of arm talent, but he may or may not be able to master the skills needed to play quarterback in the NFL effectively.
Poles responsible for bringing in the QB and the coach
When the Bears drafted Williams, he was one of 6 quarterbacks selected in the first round. The general consensus indicated that Williams was the top prospect and Poles went right along with that school of thought.
The Washington Commanders had the No. 2 pick in the draft and they selected Jayden Daniels. They became a playoff team and made it all the way to the NFC Championship game with a rookie at quarterback.
Despite his shortcomings, Poles has impressed the Bears executive leadership. He was given a contract extension in July that runs through the 2029 season.
It may be that the Bears erred in extending their general manager. In his first three-plus seasons on the job, the team has not made any progress and it may be that the team has gotten worse.
He hired one coach who failed badly and the second coach appears quite frustrated at the start of his first year. He also drafted a supposed franchise quarterback who struggles with accuracy, fundamentals and the ability to help the Bears win games.
Poles should not have been given a contract extension and likely deserved to be fired. The Bears are struggling badly and Poles’ decision-making and leadership are two of the biggest reasons for the team’s failures
BREAKING: Jayden Daniels has epic fail holding baby at Commanders practice
Jayden Daniels can do no wrong in the eyes of Washington Commanders fans.
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year led the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship Game in his first season, and the 24 year old single handedly brought hope back to a franchise that had been suffering under former owner Dan Snyder.
RELATED: Jayden Daniels' mom criticized by ex-ESPN star causes huge uproar
Aug 6, 2025; New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels talk after training camp at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
And while his dating life and meddlesome mother Regina Jackson have been hotly debated, Daniels seems like a great guy off the field. But we found something he's not very good at doing - holding babies.
In an endearing clip, the Heisman Trophy winner is obviously not a father, awkwardly holding teammate Mike Sainristil's baby Summer, or technically probably a toddler at this point at almost 14 months old, like she's an alien, having no idea what to do with her.
RELATED: Girlfriend-less Jayden goes viral dancing with mom at Brandon Aiyuk's wedding
Washington Commanders/Instagram
Daniels can't give Summer back to his mother fast enough.
Daniels should take a lesson from NFL MVP Josh Allen, who isn't intimidated at all holding babies and toddlers, training hanging out with his young nephew.
We're kidding of course, and Daniels was all smiles in the clip, with the Commanders official Instagram handle captioning the post, "Uncle Jayden reporting for duty 🫡."
(As a dad of two young boys, you'd throw both your shoulders out in a hurry with the Daniels' method. Although even with the more comfortable way, I still might throw my shoulder and lower back out. Kids are surprisingly heavy!)
Jul 24, 2025; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels leaves the practice field on day two of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
One of the users also noticed, replying, "t is so funny watching non-parents hold a baby.😂😂. I remember holding babies like that. Love to see this brotherhood building. Literally cannot make this up.🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾"
Commanders fans don't care how he holds his teammates' kids, as long as the Pro Bowler continues to live up to the lofty expectations he has now set.
