Chicago Bears HC Matt Eberflus talks players, recent moves

On the moves Poles made this offseason

As I mentioned, Poles made some moves that left some people scratching their heads and wondering where the team is heading this season. It doesn’t appear that the team will compete this season, but put its efforts into the 2023 season.

Eberflus said that he is in support of what Poles is doing. He knows that the general manager is looking into building a future, and not building a team to win just now. He wants sustained success, not just success here and there.

"I think you have to have that. When I was younger, maybe I looked through a straw, but I think that now you have to look that way. You’ve always got to have a microscope and a telescope. You have to be able to look and see down the road, but you also have to come back to your business."

It appears that the microscope that Eberflus was talking about is likely starting next season. It’s always good to have the big picture in mind when rebuilding the team. We just need to keep in mind when that big picture begins.

The most big-picture move Poles made was the Khalil Mack trade. He is a great player and a fan favorite, but his contract was an albatross on the team trying to build for the future. Despite taking a huge dead money hit this year ($24 million), the team freed up more than $60 million over the next two years. It allows Poles to make big moves next year and beyond.

"Khalil has had a great career. He’s going to continue to do well and a lot of good things in the future. But we just thought what was best for the organization going forward, looking at the whole piece of it, the contract, looking at everything going forward for us, for the club, it was the best move for us. We all signed off on it. It’ll be good for us in the long run."

It’s better to take a one-year hit and be able to make more moves later than to keep Mack and handcuffing your future, especially knowing that the Bears aren’t a healthy Mack away from contending.