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Bears GM candidate profile: Get to know Ryan Poles

alyssa barbieri
·3 min read

The Chicago Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace after seven seasons, and they’ve wasted no time exploring candidates to replace him.

Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade will conduct the search for Chicago’s next GM, a process which McCaskey promised would be “thorough, diligent and exhausted.”

The Bears have cast a wide net of GM candidates that they’ve extended interviews to, including Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles, who interviewed for the job this week.

Let’s take an in-depth look at what Poles brings to the table in our Bears GM candidate profile:

Background

  • Current Job: Executive director of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs (2021-Present)

  • Age: 36

  • Hometown: Canandaigua, NY

  • College: Boston College

Experience

  • Executive director of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs (2021-Present)

  • Assistant director of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs (2018-20)

  • Director of college scouting, Kansas City Chiefs (2017)

  • College scouting administrator, Kansas City Chiefs (2013-2016)

  • College scouting administrator, Kansas City Chiefs (2010-12)

  • Player personnel assistant, Kansas City Chiefs (2009)

Analysis

Poles has been a rising star among the Chiefs organization, where he’s survived three different GM regimes and continued to climb the ranks within the organization. Poles has extensive scouting experience, where he’s overseen all aspects of scouting players, helps with free agency preparation and assists GM Brett Veach with the NFL draft.

Poles has been with Kansas City for his entire NFL career, which spans 13 seasons. He’s seen how a successful NFL franchise operates, which is something the Bears would like to replicate. The Chiefs have won at least 10 games in each of the last six seasons, which also includes two AFC championships and a Super Bowl.

Given Poles’ scouting background, it’s worth noting he was part of the success Kansas City has had in the NFL draft. He has an eye for talent that would be vital to an organization. There’s also the Chicago connection as Poles signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bears in 2008.

They said it...

“We see these guys on TV as athletes every week, but they’re around each other all the time, too. So the locker room has to be good. If you don’t have a strong locker room, if you don’t keep everyone on the same page and if you don’t have leaders to keep the focus forward, you’ll lose it.”

— Poles on finding leaders among scouted players (via Chicago Tribune)

Bottom line

Poles has been one of the most attractive GM candidates this cycle, as he’s garnered interest from three different teams. Just one day after interviewing Poles, Chicago requested a second interview, an indication they were impressed. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Poles is “firmly in the mix” for the Bears’ GM vacancy. Even after Bill Polian is reportedly pushing for the duo of Morocco Brown and Matt Eberflus.

Poles has been a finalist for three different teams for their GM search this offseason — Bears, Giants and Vikings. New York went with Joe Schoen as their GM, but there’s a belief Minnesota is locking on Poles as their guy. Interesting to note given Chicago interviews with him first next week. If Poles is their guy, they’re going to need to act quick.

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