The dust is still settling on the Chicago Bears’ 2022-2023 season but the front office is already getting to work on what should be one of the busiest offseasons in team history. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, fresh off their first year in their respective positions, met the media on Tuesday morning to reflect on the season and share their plans for the upcoming offseason.
The two talked for nearly a half hour, answering questions about the direction they might take in free agency and what they might (or might not) do with the top overall draft pick. Here are our takeaways from what was said up at Halas Hall.
1. It wasn't an unmitigated disaster
Remember the last two years when chairman George McCaskey and CEO and president Ted Phillips spent an hour trying to sell everyone on how they would fix the mess the Bears were in? One year it was with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, the next it was without them. It feels like just yesterday we were hearing how the Bears weren’t winning enough games and didn’t have the quarterback position right, but everything else was fine while Phillips wore his gaming headset. That was far from the picture fans saw this year.
Tuesday’s press conference provided pretty clear answers from both the coach and general manager and it took under 30 minutes. There was no word salad, no scolding of media members or fans, just a plan forward with the resources at their disposal. It was a nice change of pace after the firestorm of outrage that plagued the fanbase two years in a row.
2. Poles dominated the conversation
In the nearly 28 minutes of the Bears’ press conference, it felt as if Poles talked for 25 of those minutes. The general manager held court while Eberflus sat to his left, not butting in or adding his two cents while the vast majority of media questions went to Poles about the roster construction or vision for building this team moving forward. It felt very different from almost a year ago when these two men took the podium together for the first time, with Eberflus being the one to drive the conversation.
To me, it shows growth from Poles, who is younger and has less overall experience than Eberflus. He commanded the room more than he did when he first arrived and Eberflus didn’t need to chime in with his thoughts nearly as much. That’s not to say he had nothing to add to the conversation. Eberflus addressed a question about his staff and chimed in about Darnell Mooney’s injury timeline. But the coach talks every week to the media. Seeing Poles take control was a welcome site, especially just entering his second year at the position.
3. The Bears are committing to Justin Fields
As the Bears trended towards the top of the draft order near the end of the season, talks of the team potentially wanting a new quarterback to eventually replace Justin Fields began to surface. Beat reporters suggested the Bears may not be completely sold on Fields, while other national analysts floated trade scenarios out. Those talks only intensified over the last couple of days when the Bears lucked into the No. 1 overall draft pick. But Poles wasn’t entertaining any of it.
The Bears general manager re-affirmed his commitment to Fields and indicated he will be the team’s starting quarterback to start the 2023 season. “Yeah, we had good conversations.” I’m excited for the direction he’s going,” Poles said via Adam Hoge of CHGO.
When asked if he plans on Justin Fields to be his starting QB in 2023, #Bears GM Ryan Poles says "Yeah. We had good conversations. I'm excited for the direction he's going."
But what about drafting a QB No. 1?
"I'd have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision."— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 10, 2023
Poles also said he would need to be “absolutely blown away” by a quarterback prospect to want to draft him, leaving the door slightly ajar, but given Fields’ flashes and the players available in the draft, they would likely need to have grades that match Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck for that to happen.
Fields still needs to improve his passing and Poles acknowledged that fact. But there doesn’t seem to be a scenario where the Bears ship out their dynamic quarterback to pick someone who might have the same potential.
4. Cole Kmet is here to stay
Tight end Cole Kmet was the team’s best pass-catching threat last season, leading the team in receptions (50), yards (544) and touchdowns (seven). He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal passing offense and it caught the attention of Poles, who shouted out Kmet multiple times for his performance.
First, Poles commented that Kmet had a “hell of a year” and then later singled him out when asked by the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer as a blue chip player who could be around for a potential title run. “I thought he elevated his game from the film I saw last year to what it was this year,” Poles said.
Kmet indeed elevated his game, becoming a receiver that was more fluid than he was before. He ran crisper routes and made better catches, clearly showing he made a leap from his second season to his third. Kmet is eligible for an extension this offseason and based off the comments made, it sounds like one will be coming at some point.
5. Offensive and defensive line are focuses for Poles
Poles was asked where he wants to focus his efforts when improving the team this offseason and not surprisingly, immediately mentioned both the offensive and defensive lines. Granted, he believes in building the team from the inside out no matter what but given the issues each unit had, that sentiment will need to be backed up by activity.
The Bears couldn’t generate consistent pass rush from their defensive line and they struggled in pass protection on offense. Expect plenty of movement along those positions both in free agency and the draft as they look to fix multiple glaring holes.
6. There's a path to keeping David Montgomery
One of the biggest decisions the Bears have this offseason is what to do with David Montgomery. The fourth-year back has been the bellcow for the Bears since he was drafted in 2019 and has emerged as a leader on offense. But after having a down season in 2022, coupled with the fact paying running backs isn’t normally a wise decision, one might assume he played his last down in the navy and orange. But Montgomery is a popular player with Poles and it sounds like a reunion is possible if the financials works out.
“I have always wanted to keep David,” Poles said. “He’s part of the identity that we had this year that kept us competitive.” He then added a deal would need to make sense for both sides in order for Montgomery to stick around. “If we can find common ground, obviously I’ve learned that you can want a player but the value has to come together for it to happen.”
Poles was indirectly referencing Roquan Smith with his comment about wanting a player, but needing the value to come together. He singled out both Smith and Montgomery early on in his tenure, but of course wound up moving on from Smith when the two sides couldn’t find common ground. Things could be different for Montgomery, who has publicly stated he wants to remain a Bear.
