Bears fans pushed GM Ryan Poles to sign key player

Jan 31, 2022; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears General new Manager Ryan Poles speaks during a Press Conference Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears fan base might have pulled off a feat rarely seen — or at least admitted — in sports. Their attempts at playing armchair general manager may have played a hand in an actual personnel decision.

During a press conference Saturday, Bears GM Ryan Poles began by giving a shout-out to Bears fans for badgering him all offseason about one of the team’s biggest needs — defensive end.

Just days prior, Chicago reached an agreement with the top available defensive end Yannick Ngakoue on a 1-year, $10.5 million deal.

“First of all, you’ve got to love the Bears fan base and how passionate they are. At my son’s baseball game, people yelling from the field, like coaches from third base yelling to me, or literally on a beach in Maui, I was reminded that I need to sign a defensive end. I finally got that done,” Poles said Saturday.

https://twitter.com/ChiSportUpdates/status/1687842083023798272

While Poles may have simply been joking around, the constant clamor from Bears fans could have potentially raised the urgency in trying to seal the Ngakoue signing. Who knows if another team could have swooped in snagged the former Pro Bowler had Poles waited a day later? At the very least, Poles’ comments will likely endear him to the fan base a bit more.

Chicago is looking to turn into a competitive team next season. Aside from the Ngakoue move, the Bears acquired wide receiver DJ Moore and signed 2-time Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds to a 4-year, $72 million contract.