Ryan Poles trying to change the NFL's narrative about the Chicago Bears with draft moves

The 2024 NFL Draft started and it was filled with surprises and excitement. For the Chicago Bears, things went exactly as planned. General Manager Ryan Poles has been on a mission and he used his two top-ten picks to accomplish it.

For Poles, the excitement was sky high, with no surprises. He prepared the offense to have Caleb Williams lead it. Soon after the start of the draft, he made it official by selectin him with the first pick. Them with the ninth pick, he got Williams more help. He selected wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was on a mission to change the NFL's narrative about the team. He revamped the offense and added more firepower in the first round of the draft.

For the better part of two decades, the Chicago Bears' reputation has taken a big hit. They went from the Monsters of the Midway to old, hapless grandparents. The word around the league is that there was no need to worry about them. Chicago was just stuck in the past, not worried about entering the modern-day NFL.

Well, Poles set out to change that belief. He had some setup to do before that, but this was the offseason he could fully make the moves that would shock the league. Days after the end of the 2023 regular season he set on a mission to revamp the offense. After the first round of the draft, it seems mission accomplished.

No one was spared (except maybe for head coach Matt Eberflus). He fired the offensive coaching staff, led by Luke Getsy. He replaced them with coaches led by Shane Waldron. Waldron has had success working with quarterbacks in the past so Poles felt Waldron and his staff could develop Williams.

Poles builds a powerhous offense

After he built a new offensive coaching staff, Poles set out to give Waldron and his coaches the players to have a powerhouse offense. That is something that we haven't seen from the Chicago Bears. The Bears are known as having a strong running game and an elite defense. While that worked in the past, the NFL is a passing league now,

It is time for the Chicago Bears to enter the modern day. Poles set out to do just that.

At first, Poles' moves seemed a bit strange. His first move in free agency was to sign running back D'Andre Swift. Running back did not seem like a pressing need, however. The Bears have Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. Many felt that they just needed a rotational back.

Now, though, the Bears have a new RB1 in Swift. He can make plays in the running game. Additionally, he can be an effective pass-catcher out of the backfield. Johnson is a good receiver as well so Chicago now has two running backs who can be assets in the passing game.

Poles then strengthened the offensive line. He traded for guard Ryan Bates. Bates was a player Poles signed when he became GM in 2022. Bates was a restricted free agent back then and the Buffalo Bills matched the offer. This time, however, Poles got his man by trading a fifth-round pick. Poles also signed Matt Pryor and Coleman Shelton.

Bates and Pryor add depth to the offensive line. They have some starting experience so if they have to step up in case of injuries (as we've seen happen nearly every season) they can help. Shelton, on the other hand, likely becomes the new starting center after Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick struggled in 2023 and are no longer on the roster.

Waldron likes to use a lot of two tight end sets. The Bears struggled at tight end other than Cole Kmet. Now, however, Poles signed Gerald Everett. Everett and Kmet now give the offense two big targets who could be the quarterback's security blanket.

The final touch by Poles before the draft was to sign six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen and DJ Moore are two of the top wide receivers in the league. They combined for 2,607 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023.

The first round is the icing on the cake

In the first round of the draft, Poles' plan got the finishing touches. With the first pick, he selected the player everyone in the NFL expected, WIlliams. Poles turned Yugo into a Ferrari. He now gave the keys to that Ferrari to Williams.

Poles was not finished, though. He had another pick at nine. He decided to add even more to the offense and gave Williams another weapon with Odunze. This Chicago Bears offense is now a unit we have never seen from the franchise before.

This is not your grandfather's Chicago Bears offense. They have a quarterback many consider to be a generational talent. He has a plethora of weapons with Moore, Allen, Odunze, Kmet, Everett, Johnson, and Swift. Additionally, he has a strengthened offensive line.

Just consider this -- Odunze would be a WR1 on most teams. In Chicago he is WR3.

Bears fans cannot wait for the season to begin. We saw the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans were the Cinderella teams in 2023. Cinderella's slipper could be put on the Chicago Bears in 2024.