NFL free agency is near. What are realistic goals for Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles with all that salary-cap space to spend?
Ryan Poles #RyanPoles
An action-packed offseason for the Chicago Bears will shift into overdrive next week with the beginning of the NFL’s new league year and the opening of free agency. Contracts can’t be finalized until 3 p.m. Wednesday, but negotiations between teams and unrestricted free agents can begin at 11 a.m. Monday.
The Bears, according to OverTheCap.com, have approximately $94 million of salary-cap space, the most of any team in the NFL by far. But they also have a roster in need of major replenishment after finishing last season with a franchise-record and league-most 14 losses. So how can general manager Ryan Poles make the most of this opportunity in free agency? How active will the Bears be through several waves this month? And what’s realistic for the team to accomplish as it looks to position itself for a successful draft in April?
Tribune Bears writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane put their heads together to survey the landscape of free agency in this edition of “Real Talk.”
Dan Wiederer: Bears fans have had a license to dream big — like, really big — for months, envisioning an exhilarating offseason in which Poles restocks the roster with talent and depth for the team to begin its next championship climb. Even Poles has been open in sharing his eagerness to attack these next seven weeks of free agency and the draft.
At the scouting combine two weeks ago, the Bears GM expressed his giddiness for what’s ahead. “It’s hard to sleep right now because you’re just thinking about all these things you could possibly do,” he said.
You start to envision Poles like Dr. John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind,” staring at a board full of numbers and possibilities, of permutations and combinations. Only Poles is at Halas Hall, looking at the Bears’ draft board and free-agency rankings with all his best-case scenario groupings still in play.
Well, it’s go time. And for Poles and his team — which includes assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and contract negotiators Matt Feinstein and Cliff Stein — the trick will be blending think-big ambition with patient practicality. I’ll get to more of this in a minute. But Poles’ consistent emphasis on discipline for the upcoming shopping spree has resonated with me. What do you expect for this first wave and first week of free agency?
Colleen Kane: I’m with you, Dan, in noting that Poles continues to stress being selective and sticking to value parameters in free agency. His belief is that long-term success is built through the draft, and he knows how getting bogged down by bad free-agent contracts can hurt that pursuit.
“The key is that we don’t waste this opportunity and do something that’s not sound that doesn’t allow us to have this flexibility in years to come,” Poles said at the NFL combine. “So that’s the balance — take advantage of now but still (be mindful of) not trying to hurt you down the road.”
That said, Poles has money to spend, and the first wave of free agency should be more interesting for the Bears and with bigger contracts than we’ve had in a couple of years, though I suppose 2021 was interesting for a different reason — the quarterback intrigue that resulted in the Andy Dalton signing. But that’s a memory for another story.
This year, the Bears have holes to fill all over their roster except at quarterback. But I would think the early big spending will likely go to the team’s most pressing needs — upgrading the offensive and defensive lines.
Wiederer: That would be the hope. The Bears need help on both sides of the ball. And when we look at the top shelf of offensive tackles in free agency, it’s easy to get excited about the potential addition of guys such as Orlando Brown or Mike McGlinchey or Jawaan Taylor or Kaleb McGary. Any of those players — at the right price — would help the Bears check a box in their effort to create support for quarterback Justin Fields.
Defensively, Javon Hargrave, Dre’Mont Jones and Dalvin Tomlinson will be worth checking in on.
Without question, Poles will be active in trying to acquire difference-making talent over the next few weeks. But, as you mentioned, he also will be mindful of how every player on the Bears’ free-agency board is valued. The key, then, will be in showing flexibility but not recklessness as specific circumstances dictate.
We always look at free agency in waves. The first — which will start when the negotiating period opens Monday and last three or four days — is the wave that creates the biggest headlines and adrenaline rushes. But it’s often the second-wave value signings that work out best for the healthiest teams in the league.
Kane: You mentioned Bears fans’ big dreams earlier, and I already can hear the buzz if Poles were to lock down a player such as Brown or Hargrave.
But you’re right: The second wave of free agency is going to be crucial too. This is a Bears team that went 3-14 in 2022 with a lot of players on short-term deals. Beyond the multiple spots the Bears need to upgrade on their lines, they need cornerbacks, linebackers and tight ends. They need to consider re-signing David Montgomery or weigh other options at running back to complement Khalil Herbert.
And of course they need wide receivers. Darnell Mooney is coming off an ankle injury. Chase Claypool and Velus Jones Jr. didn’t produce up to expectations in their first stints with the Bears. The contributions from a host of other wide receivers were minimal. Fields needs better players to throw to, and I don’t think counting on improvement from any of the aforementioned receivers is going to cut it.
This class of free-agent wideouts isn’t considered great, so maybe the Bears are plotting additions from the draft. Either way, I’m intrigued to see how it unfolds.
Wiederer: I got dizzy just now as you ticked off all the needs this team has. Resources? Yes. But many needs too. Many, many needs.
That’s why that massive $94 million number that applies to the Bears’ salary-cap space is a touch misleading because they also have a high volume of signings to make, which will require Poles to spread his spending out strategically over many areas while also retaining a feel for what will be available in the draft.
Suddenly, the dream of a free-agency shopping spree with few restrictions gets reined in slightly with the need for Poles, in his words, to stay disciplined. Which is why he might be undeterred if his early haul in free agency doesn’t meet the expectations of the most zealous fans.
And just to extend off your point that this free-agent receiver class isn’t all that impressive, the class as a whole lacks sizzle, seen in many league circles as ho-hum at best. That points me back to the thought process that Poles might conduct his business in a calculated manner that allows him to retain some level of cap flexibility for a better time — when the free-agent market is more appealing and the Bears are closer to contending.
Kane: I think that brings us to what a realistic result might be when the Bears roster makeover is complete in May.
Between the money available to Poles in free agency and the No. 1 draft pick that he hopes to turn into more draft capital, how many true difference makers will the Bears be able to add this offseason?
Enough to bring them closer to contending? For sure. Enough to make them a contender? Maybe not yet.
Wiederer: The key in all of this for Poles is understanding the need for immediate fixes while also working to lock in new players who can be part of the team’s long-term plans. Between free agency and the draft, ideally the Bears should be aiming to add at least a half-dozen and maybe up to 10 players who can still be important contributors in 2026. Again, this isn’t “surge and splurge” time for Poles. But it is a critical period to stabilize the roster in a meaningful way.
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