The noise may have quieted after the first two wins of the Ben Johnson era, but Chicago Bears fans still have plenty of reason to be cautious about GM Ryan Poles.

Even at 2–2, with a promising quarterback and a culture-building head coach, the Bears’ roster remains flawed in this, Poles’ fourth season as GM.

Only the most optimistic fans are still clinging to playoff hopes. Somewhere between seven and nine wins feels more realistic, because let’s face it—Chicago’s roster is deficient in too many areas.

Roster Concerns Still Loom

No defense has allowed more rushing yards (658) than the Bears this season.

The Carolina Panthers are the only NFC team with fewer sacks than Chicago, which has just five through four games.

And of course, the elephant in the room is the offensive line. While Caleb Williams has only been sacked seven times in four games, playing musical chairs at both tackle spots hardly inspires confidence in pass protection.

Following a narrow 25–24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Bears are expected to move forward with undrafted free agent Theo Benedet at left tackle.

Meanwhile, Ozzy Trapilo, the 56th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, will take over at right tackle if Darnell Wright is sidelined for any longer.

This latest shake-up is yet another reason for fans to question the competency of Poles, who was once touted for his ability to evaluate offensive line talent.

The Braxton Jones Problem

Poles drafted Braxton Jones out of Southern Utah in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft—his very first draft as GM. At the time, fans gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he knew something the rest of the league didn’t.

But here we are, three and a half years later, and Jones has yet to develop into a reliable starter. Worse yet, Chicago still hasn’t found a true replacement—leaving the job to an undrafted free agent from the University of British Columbia who had never played an NFL snap before September.

Can Benedet Be the Answer?

Ben Johnson referred to Benedet as an “overlooked” player in the competition at tackle during camp. Caleb Williams recently told the media that Benedet has “grown tremendously,” both physically and mentally.

And maybe he’ll continue to play lights-out football for the Bears, solving the left tackle crisis for the foreseeable future.

Regardless, Jones being benched for a player with so little experience is pretty damning for Poles.

A Pattern of Questionable Moves

This can be chalked up as another botched evaluation—not necessarily in drafting Jones as a prospect (a swing tackle with 44 career starts is a fine outcome for a fifth-round pick)—but more in how Chicago has overestimated his ability to improve year after year.

And this is hardly Poles’ only misstep. He traded for Chase Claypool, drafted Velus Jones Jr. and Zacch Pickens, signed Nate Davis to a $30 million contract in free agency, and even used a fourth-round pick on a punter. Now, he has failed to add the competent left tackle this team so desperately needs.

Ryan Poles made a lot of mistakes, and the Bears have done very little winning since he took over.

Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson may cover up some of those errors by keeping the Bears afloat in 2025. That will buy Poles plenty of job security.

But if Chicago is ever going to turn the corner—from a team floating around .500 to a legitimate contender—the front office will need to do a far better job of adding the right supplemental pieces to this roster.