Give Bears GM Ryan Poles his due, but it's Ben Johnson's show at Halas Hall

Bears general manager Ryan Poles delivered in his fourth season in charge at Halas Hall. “Take the North” was a better podcast than a Bears rallying cry before the rejuvenating 2025 season, with the Bears winning the NFC North title for the first time since 2018. 

Poles did not take much of a victory lap at his end-of-season press conference Wednesday — just the standard fare of thanking his bosses, chairman George McCaskey and president Kevin Warren, and head coach Ben Johnson, the players, the coaching staff, the support staff and the fans. The bravado from his introductory press conference in 2022 (“We’re going to take the North, and never give it back.”) morphed into Ben Johnson’s we-haven’t-done-anything-yet caution: “Coach hit it. We didn’t reach what we wanted, the goals that we wanted to hit, and that’s to be a championship-caliber team,” Poles said. “That will never change.” 

The subtle vibe, in fact, confirmed the underlying theme of the Bears’ renaissance: This is Ben Johnson’s show. Johnson notably spoke first at Halas Hall on Wednesday. The only boss he thanked was the late Virginia McCaskey. And his first reference to Poles was as a tandem. 

“Ryan and I have some really difficult decisions to make over the course of this offseason,” Johnson said. “But we’re committed to bringing in competitive players, football players that are going to make us better time and time again.”

Poles’ imprint on this season is undeniable. He acquired every player on the roster except cornerback Jaylon Johnson and tight end Cole Kmet — both 2020 draft picks by former GM Ryan Pace. He drafted quarterback Caleb Williams. He hired Johnson. 

But while Poles deserves his share of the credit, it’s Johnson who has been the driving force behind the Bears’ rejuvenation. And let the record show, it was Poles whiffing twice on Matt Eberflus — hiring him in 2022 and sticking by him after the 2023 season — that created the urgency that compelled McCaskey to break the bank and hire Johnson. It was desperation, not intuition, that led to Poles hiring Johnson.

Before hiring Johnson, Poles had his hits in roster building. He drafted offensive tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker. He signed safety Kevin Byard. But he had his share of misses as well: drafting wide receiver Velus Jones in the third round, trading for wide receiver Chase Claypool, signing guard Nate Davis. 

It wasn’t until Poles hired Johnson that his batting average rose above hit-and-miss level. In fact, if you rank the impact of Poles’ major acquisitions since hiring Johnson — players acquired to immediately start or be in the regular rotation — it’s tilted toward Johnson’s offense:

1. LG Joe Thuney

2. TE Colston Loveland 

3. C Drew Dalman

4. RG Jonah Jackson

5. WR Luther Burden

6. LT Ozzy Trapilo

7. DT Grady Jarrett

8. DE Dayo Odeyingbo

9. DT Shemar Turner

And that doesn’t include rookie running back Kyle Monangai, who plays a position of need, but still was a seventh-round draft pick. 

That’s the beauty of Ben Johnson’s offense — every player is a candidate to make the GM look like a genius. Before Johnson, Poles fortified the offensive line with Wright, but also Davis, Lucas Patrick, Braxton Jones and Ryan Bates. After hiring Johnson, he upgraded the line with Thuney, Dalman, Jackson and Trapilo. 

It’s on the other side of the ball where Poles still has a lot to prove. Poles’ best success has come with the wind at his back — he parlayed the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 into trade haul from the Panthers. He turned the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 into Caleb Williams. Having Williams attracted Johnson, the hottest candidate in the 2025 cycle. Hiring Johnson turned virtually every roster move on offense into a winner. 

With an offense presumed to take a step forward in 2026 and a defense that was shaky even at its best, the Bears are at an early crossroads — do they become the Bengals, with a franchise quarterback undercut by a leaky defense? Or the 49ers or Rams, who give their offense a chance with solid, if not top-10 defenses? 

Drafting Caleb Williams and hiring Ben Johnson — that was the easy part. Giving them a defense they can win the Super Bowl with — that’s where Ryan Poles will earn his due credit for building the Bears into a winner. 

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