Bears GM Ryan Poles Had a Clear Plan This Offseason
After shielding Caleb Williams with a revamped offensive line, Ryan Poles shifted his focus to the secondary, loading up on defensive backs to paralyze opposing passing attacks.
If you looked closely at how the Chicago Bears approached last offseason, it became obvious what they were trying to fix. The Bears had a young quarterback in Caleb Williams, who showed plenty of promise. He threw for 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie.
However, he was constantly running for his life. Williams was the league's most-sacked quarterback in 2024, with the Bears allowing 68 that year. General Manager Ryan Poles understood that it was a massive problem and addressed it in free agency.
He traded for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, then signed free-agent center Drew Dalman . As a result, the offense improved with a competent offensive line. Williams went from being one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league to one of the fewest in 2025.
Chicago allowed 24 sacks, ranking third-fewest in the NFL. The quarterback threw for 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in year two. The first wave of free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft have both come and gone.