Poles put a lot on the line with trade for Montez Sweat
What is Ryan Poles doing?
It's what we are all trying to figure out after yet another tumultuous week at Halas Hall.
Is the general manager slowly but surely putting the Bears on a path to long-term success? Or is this the latest chapter in a long, depressing saga that never seems to end?
It's too soon to know, but it appears Poles is bumbling into and through Door B.
New GMs are generally given a grace period to earn the trust of players, coaches and the fan base. In the NFL, however, that window is short and it's dangerously close to slamming down on Poles' neck.
Now, not all of Poles' decisions have been terrible.
He acquired decent draft capital for Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn last season, selected Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker in 2022, and added Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Roschon Johnson and Tyler Scott in 2023.
Nice.
The GM of a bottom-feeding team should mainly use the draft to build a winner.
What he shouldn't do is unload top-40 picks for lottery tickets.
And, of course, that is exactly what Poles has done not once but twice.
Last year it was Chase Claypool. There was some hope that a change of scenery would help the talented wide receiver, but always in the back of your mind you're thinking: The Pittsburgh Steelers do not mess these deals up very often.
And guess what? They didn't.
That move made us question Poles. Does this guy really know what he's doing? Can't he stay patient?
On Tuesday, Poles shipped a second-round pick to Washington in exchange for edge rusher Montez Sweat. On Saturday, Poles handed Sweat a four-year, $98 million extension. At $24.5 million a year, it is the richest contract in Bears history and it places him fifth among edge rushers, according to overthecap.com.
There's no denying the 6-foot-6, 262-pound Sweat instantly makes the defense better. He has 6½ sacks this season (the Bears have 10 total) and 35½ in his career.
But the biggest issue - which few are talking about - is that Sweat is already 27 years old and has been in the league for five years. Edge rushers typically don't stay productive for very long, so just how much can the Bears expect out of Sweat in his sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth seasons?
It made far more sense to draft an edge rusher in the first or second round. Come April, the Bears will most likely have two top-five picks. Most rankings have 3-4 defensive ends ranked outside the top five but in the top 20. They should have traded down and taken one.
It would have been cheaper than acquiring Sweat, and you'd still have that second-round pick.
Still, maybe Poles wants to load up on offense in the draft and he figures combining Sweat with CB Jaylon Johnson and LB Tremaine Edmunds will create a devastating defense. (Assuming Johnson is still around, of course).
If that plan works out, kudos to Poles for having some serious foresight.
But - just like last year - it feels like a lot of stars must align for everything to pan out.
That's what you're hoping for at the blackjack table or roulette wheel - not when you're running an NFL franchise.
Someone ought to tell Poles that before he plays his next hand.
By the numbers
<b>Highest-paid edge rushers:</b>Player, team Age Avg.
1. Nick Bosa, SF 26 $34M
2. T.J. Watt, Pitt. 29 $28M
3. Joey Bosa, LAC 28 $27M
4. Myles Garrett, Cle. 28 $25M
5. M. Sweat, BEARS 27 $24.5M
6. Rashan Gary, GB 26 $24M
7. Khalil Mack, LAC 32 $23.5M
7. Maxx Crosby, LV 26 $23.5M
Source: overthecap.com