Bears GM Ryan Poles' belief in Matt Eberflus is believable

It was too early for a victory lap, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles earned at least a bow for renewing hope and inspiring faith at Halas Hall heading into the 2024 season with an infusion of talent that has significantly upgraded the Bears’ roster from the one he inherited from Ryan Pace in January 2022.

Wide receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, defensive end Montez Sweat, right tackle Darnell Wright, running back DeAndre Swift, linebacker T.J. Edwards, safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Kyler Gordon were among the upgrades. And, of course, the very apparent upgrade at quarterback, where Poles drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick to replace Justin Fields.

But there was one potential upgrade Poles decided against last year at a critical position — coach. Poles resolutely backed Matt Eberflus after seasons of 3-14 (which in fairness came after a roster teardown) and 7-10, with two assistant coaches leaving in-season under odd circumstances.

Poles dismissed the idea of even attempting to hire Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, the former Bears quarterback whose record in the NFL and particularly with quarterbacks sure seemed like an upgrade for a struggling organization about to acquire a “generational” quarterback prospect in Williams.

Instead, Poles stayed with the coach he hired less than 48 hours after he himself was hired as GM in 2022 — and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy took the fall, replaced by Shane Waldron. Poles reiterated his hearty endorsement Wednesday, with Eberflus’ makeover — physical and otherwise — one of the hits of the offseason, the Bears’ arrow definitely pointing up after a 4-0 preseason and Williams looking as good as advertised.

“His resilience,” Poles said when asked how Eberflus has made the strongest impression since the end of last season. “From where our roster was and for how far we knew it had to go, to set a standard and hold everybody to that is extremely difficult.
“To keep a team together through adversity is extremely difficult. But what’s going to be awesome is that those things are going to be established. And when the winning comes, you have a stronger product because of it.”
“The ability to adapt and adjust — you can see that on a daily basis,” Poles added. “He’s always trying to get better — taking feedback from players [like], ‘What do we need to change? What do we need to adjust? How are you feeling?’ And then making the tweaks.”
“The relationships. He has had every single person on our team over at this house. They spend time there, get to know him better. And that was done intentionally. It wasn’t just to do it and check a box. It was to really invest in our players and build that trust, because you need that.”

Poles’ belief in culture, relationships, team-building and resilience as a foundation for winning the Super Bowl is a banal concept and an old story at Halas Hall. But it resonates a little more coming from a GM who turned the No. 1 overall pick into Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson and Tory Taylor than from a GM who traded four draft picks for Mitch Trubisky.

This story is just unfolding. But Ryan Poles has earned the right to believe in Matt Eberflus until he doesn’t, and to believe in “the process” of rebuilding the roster more than the moves that made it happen.

“It’s not just about acquiring the best talent, it’s about acquiring the right talent — I think that’s what you see in this building. It’s special,” Poles said. “The group of guys, it’s really special.

“Even when you go through cutdown day and you’re letting guys go, they’re like, ‘Man, I just wanna be here. I can feel it. I want to be a part of this thing.’ I’m excited about it, but when you hear from people inside the building, but also outside, it makes you feel really good about the progress that you made. A lot of hard work, a lot of time, and developing the process so it’s sustainable.”