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Ryan Poles was introducing himself to Chicago, trying to ingratiate himself to an edgy but still hopeful Bears fan base. It was only Poles’ first week on the job back in January. Yet he was intent on giving the masses a glimpse into his values and beliefs as the new general manager of one of the NFL’s charter franchises.
“What am I about and what’s my philosophy?” Poles said from center stage of his official introduction at Halas Hall.
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“We are going to build through the draft. We’re going to acquire young, fast and physical football players. We’re going to be selective through free agency. And we’re going to connect evaluation with valuation.
“We’re going to have a relentless approach to fix our weaknesses. We’re going to have self-awareness of who we are. We’re going to solve problems with open communication and candor. And we’re going to consistently put players in positions to succeed.”
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There it was, a mission statement of sorts, Poles’ compass for gradually rebuilding the Bears into a championship contender. He acknowledged it would take time but also expressed an intention not to waver from his vision.
To the first objective — building through the draft — Poles did everything he could this spring to make the most of the capital left behind for him. When he took the job in January, the Bears owned five selections for the 2022 NFL draft. But by the time draft weekend finished, Poles used a series of trades both big and small to assemble an 11-player class — with at least a third of those players needing to become significant long-term contributors for the Bears’ return to relevance to accelerate.
The Bears are two practices into training camp, and the scrutiny of Poles’ rookie class will continue to grow as the preseason pushes on. With that in mind, here are five pressing questions about Bears rookies.
Phrased another way, Bears coach Matt Eberflus was asked this week if he would be disappointed if Gordon and Brisker weren’t on the field together for the first snap of the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in September. Eberflus just smiled.
“I would say we are going to develop those guys,” he said. “And we have no problem playing young players a lot.”
Translation? Barring injury or some unforeseen twist, Gordon and Brisker will remain on the fast track to having leading roles in the Bears secondary.
“If they show they’re ready to go and play 65 plays or the whole game, that’s what they’ll do,” Eberflus said. “If they show they can play part of the game, they’ll play part of the game. It’s all going to be based on performance.”
Gordon and Brisker caught teammates’ attention during the spring with their aggressive mentality and ball skills. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson took note of Gordon’s playmaking prowess.
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“(It’s) his ballhawking ability, the ability to find the ball and track the ball,” Johnson said this week. “And he’s an athlete. He’s definitely going to be able to make some plays solely off his athleticism and being physical and being able to find the ball. Those are some good qualities to have as a young corner.”
Veteran safety Eddie Jackson offered similar praise for Brisker.
“He’s learning and he’s open,” Jackson said. “He’s asked a lot of questions — the right questions. Just to see him fly around making plays on the ball, you always like to see that. Especially from a young guy.”
With major needs across the roster, Poles chose to use his first two draft picks on defensive backs. He did so with full confidence in Gordon and Brisker, believing they would revitalize the defense and with every intent of giving them the green light to play — and play a lot — as soon as they are ready. That’s not changing.
There are moments on the practice field when Jones’ explosion can seem cartoonish, as if he has jet packs attacked to the back of each cleat. In the spring, even some of the quickest Bears playmakers found their eyes bugging when watching Jones.
“When he gets the ball? Y’all are going to see,” Darnell Mooney said. “He can fly. He can be a playmaker for sure for us.”
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Jones is undeniably fast. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds at the combine. But just as impressive to new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is that Jones’ straight-line track speed translated to how he played at Tennessee.
“When that guy gets the ball in his hands, he looks like 4.3 (speed) on the field,” Getsy said. “Not many guys can do that. I think that is what stood out.”
Furthermore, Getsy was attracted to Jones’ sturdy build — he’s 6-foot and 200 pounds — plus his versatility. “He has a chance to score every time he touches the ball,” Getsy said.
Now it’s Getsy’s job — and by extension, the responsibility of quarterback Justin Fields — to keep Jones involved in the offense in a variety of ways. The rookie receiver continues to work on polishing his route running and should be able to contribute in traditional ways in the passing game. But Jones also should get opportunities on jet sweeps, bubble screens, handoffs out of the backfield and other gadget plays.
In an ideal world, Jones would become a valuable chess piece for Getsy, a weapon who can be moved around to create mismatches for Jones or other Bears playmakers.
During camp, the Bears will test the volume Jones can handle and work toward determining what niches fit him best.
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Jones knows the value he can have if he’s able to do a lot of different things for the offense. With the ball in his hands, he can be dangerous.
“When the ball touches my hands — from an over route, curl route, an out route — I’m going to make something happen,” Jones said. “Especially with the mentality I have. It came from my father. Never, ever get tackled by the first person. That’s something I’ve been living. It’s something I was able to put on film and prove I’m one of the best ball-in-hands guys in the nation. Make the first man miss and then make a play.”
In January, Jones was just a wide-eyed draft prospect from Southern Utah trying to find his footing at the Senior Bowl. By the end of June, he was taking first-team minicamp reps at the most important position on the Bears offensive line. Talk about a rapid rise and golden opportunity.
The Bears see plenty of upside in Jones and hope he can use his thick frame, nimble footwork and 35-inch arms to develop — eventually — into a trusty professional tackle. But might it be asking too much of a fifth-round rookie to be entrusted with protecting the blindside of franchise quarterback Justin Fields?
Time will tell.
The Bears took a bigger swing this week when they invited 11th-year veteran Riley Reiff to training camp — and paid him well — to begin competing for the starting left tackle position. (As of now, Reiff likely has the inside track to winning that job.)
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Second-year linemen Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins should also remain in the competition to start on the right side.
That doesn’t kill Jones’ chances of fighting for a starting job. But he will have to prove himself to coaches and teammates every day to even draw serious consideration for such a heightened role. And he will face a demanding stretch of training camp and preseason action between now and September with the intensity ratcheting up when the pads come on for the first time Monday.
At the conclusion of minicamp last month, Jones expressed his desire to play faster and continue improving the use of his hands. He has been working closely with offensive line coach Chris Morgan to quicken and strengthen his punch.
“Just throwing them babies,” Jones said. “Letting them go. (My arms) are long. It’s just letting ‘em go.”
As Jones has improved his punch and the use of his hands and arms, he has seen how that can move defenders off their spot and aid him in recovering if he’s off-kilter at all.
Jones admitted he was a bit surprised in the spring when he got the first call to work with the starters.
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“But that surprise went away quick,” he said. “It was thrown on me and then it’s time to go.”
Jones will have to excel under heightened demands over the next month to remain in line for a starting job. But he certainly will be given his chance to show what he’s capable of. As practice ramps up this week, he is still getting first-team chances at left tackle and in one-on-one settings has shown an attention-grabbing sturdiness. Every rep matters.
Khalil Mack is gone, back to the West Coast with the Los Angeles Chargers. Robert Quinn ultimately could be traded by midseason. The Bears’ efforts to establish a respectable pass rush under new coach Matt Eberflus will have its challenges.
At this point, third-year pass rusher Trevis Gipson might be the smart-money favorite to lead the team in sacks in 2022. But Robinson, a fifth-round pick from Miami of Ohio, should recognize the opening in front of him and do everything he can to maximize whatever chances he’s given.
Unlike Gipson, who benefited greatly in his first two seasons from the mentoring of Mack and Quinn, Robinson may have to figure out more on his own. Unlike Gipson, who was a traditional 4-3 defensive end in college, Robinson doesn’t have a long track record at the position he’s now being asked to play. He entered college as a quarterback, later converted to receiver and didn’t make the switch to defense until 2020.
Still, the Bears made a Day 3 dice roll on Robinson in April because they were intrigued by his length, flexibility and athleticism and also with faith that Eberflus and his defensive coaches could mold him into a difference-maker.
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Bears area scout Brendan Rehor analyzed Robinson extensively before the draft and sensed a big step forward at the Senior Bowl when Robinson took on elevated competition, flashed in one-on-one pass-rush drills and stated a case that he could blossom at the next level.
“It showed he belonged with some of those top-tier tackles who were in Mobile,” Rehor said on draft weekend. “He held his own. He didn’t look out of place. There’s a lot to work with there.”
Robinson didn’t look out of place during rookie camp, organized team activities or minicamp and now is immersed in a training camp in which he has an opportunity to carve out a role for himself — even if it is simply as a situational pass rusher right out of the gates.
Robinson put on more than 30 pounds in college as he changed positions multiple times. He changed his stance on the defensive line deep into the 2020 season when he wasn’t getting the results he desired. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology in 2019 and has made significant progress toward a master’s as well.
He’s driven. He’s coachable. He’s smart. Now, he’s using every part of his past to help him cross the bridge to the NFL. “I’m looking to be great at this position,” Robinson said.
In the last decade, the Bears’ success stories among undrafted rookies include the likes of Cam Meredith, Roy Robertson-Harris, John Timu and Sam Mustipher. So who from this year’s UDFA class might squeeze their way onto the 53-man roster and find a way to contribute?
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Defensive tackle Micah Dew-Treadway will get a long look to help add depth and competition to the defensive front. Dew-Treadways’s path to Halas Hall was a long one. He played at Bolingbrook High School and went on to Notre Dame for four years — redshirting in 2015 and getting a medical redshirt the following year after breaking his foot. Dew-Treadway transferred to Minnesota in 2019 and played three more seasons for the Golden Gophers, taking advantage of a fifth season in 2021 because of the NCAA’s COVID-19-related opening.
Yep, that’s seven seasons of college football. And yes, Dew-Treadway celebrated his 25th birthday in January. Now he’s a rookie with an opportunity to show off his nimble footwork and high motor.
Christian Albright, an undrafted linebacker out of Ball State, is another rookie with a good chance to stick around on the practice squad or eventually crack the 53-man roster as a depth piece and potential special teams contributor. Albright is a big hitter with an obvious aggressive edge to his game. So you can bet he’s eager for the pads to come on next week and readying himself to show out in the team’s preseason games in August.
