The Chicago Bears have some needs entering the 2026 NFL Draft, but general manager Ryan Poles is not feeling the pressure to address those positions of need in the upcoming draft.
Ryan Poles is going into his fifth year as the general manager of the Chicago Bears.
He’s coming off his first winning season since he took the job in 2022. Like anybody in his position, he’s had his misfires when constructing the Bears’ roster, but he's also created some franchise-altering moves.
Heading into his fifth NFL Draft with the Bears, he understands what a general manager must do: never draft for need.
Poles sat down with NBC 5’s Lou Canellis at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting and was asked if he feels any pressure to select an edge rusher.
“No, no … philosophically that’s something Ben (Johnson) and I are aligned on, it’s best player available,” Poles said. “I think where we can get in trouble, we start forcing things because of need. I think that is when we can start having issues. Take the best player available. Obviously, if there are three guys that are aligned in terms of the value that we see, we may prioritize them based on needs, but if someone is standing out higher in that group of guys that we are looking at No. 25, we’ll take the best player.”
This messaging has been the same from the Bears’ general manager. Despite the need for an edge rusher, left tackle and safety, the Bears won’t take that specific position unless their big board reflects the proper value when the team is on the clock.
After being with head coach Ben Johnson and his staff for a season, Poles understands more clearly what his team needs to continue ascending from an 11-win season that featured an NFC North title in 2025.
“We did a lot of listening through our player evaluations, through our meetings, week to week last year, and we’re taking notes in terms of what we need to take the next steps as a football team," Poles said. "The beautiful thing is we have great alignment between our coaching staff and our front office.”
Poles also mentioned that when he returns to Halas Hall, the team will watch more film on these draft prospects. If the football evaluators identify players who match the style, skill set, scheme and mentality, the coaching staff will be in a good spot.
Behind every decision Poles will contemplate, he will weigh what help the team win-now versus obtaining sustained success. It's the thought process every general manager must have when developing a team."
"It's really difficult," Poles said. "They're some really cool opportunities that pop up, and when you kind of do the analysis of how does this impact as we move forward if that comes back as probably negative, then you need to pump the breaks on that. So we want to stay disciplined in our approach. As we get to this draft, it's taking the best available. There's going to be some needs that hopefully line up. We always hope that that lines up, but sometimes it doesn't, but you can't be wrong with continuing to add good football players to your football team. ..."