Ryan Poles and Matt Eberlfus Answer Questions at the Combine

In doing so, Ryan Poles was transparent about his process without giving away his plans, and Coach ‘Flus had things to say as well.

Ryan Poles joked that his phone won’t stop ringing, and it makes sense. Poles controls the 1st and 9th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, giving him a massive amount of control over how one of the central events of the NFL offseason unfolds. He quickly covered key topics, but several themes kept popping up in his words to the press as well as the subsequent remarks by Matt Eberflus.

Respecting players

Poles wants to do the right thing for the players. The club released Jackson and Whitehair so that they could get a head start on vital decisions. The club wants to be transparent with Justin Fields when it comes to any decision they might or might not make regarding either retaining him or trading him. He doesn’t want the quarterback stuck in a “grey area.”

Likewise, he made it clear that the Chicago Bears want to retain Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and that they feel like they have made a solid offer. He wants to avoid the franchise tag, preferring instead to put a long-term deal in place. Matt Eberflus, meanwhile, emphasized that he felt the last two years have helped the Bears build a solid foundation of players to move forward.

Team-centered Decisions

Poles and Flus both stressed that any decision made over the #1 overall pick would be based on what made the Bears stronger in the long run, but they also stressed team in other ways. Poles made it clear that he would not be making the decision at quarterback individually, but rather that it would be a function of collaborating with multiple parties. He reiterated that he has no reason to believe that Caleb Williams (frequently linked to the Bears) would want to avoid Chicago, and that if that were the case, he would want to know why.

Poles also stated that he’d prefer to know what the club will do by “tomorrow,” but that seemed less a concrete timeline than simply wishful thinking that many fans can relate to by this point.

What was clear in his words to the press is that Poles understands the gravity of the decisions in front of him and that while he believes that the decisions made in 2023 helped the team immensely, he sees this year as its own event.

Team-building

Matt Eberflus spoke to the media about the process of forming a team identity, as well. He spoke repeatedly about how each year needs to be handled individually, and he also emphasized the role that free agency would play in the construction of the roster. Eberflus emphasized that he believed that over the last two years, the Bears have picked up a number of foundational pieces.

When pressed, Eberflus spoke about the need for a quarterback to be “a winner,” while also highlighting the need for the coaches to come together to put a quarterback in a position to succeed.

Chicago’s head coach mentioned multiple times that he believed in the coaching staff that has been assembled and in their ability to put any quarterback in the position to succeed.

You can check out both press conferences in their entirety in the Tweets below.