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On the first day of free agency in 2025, Bears GM Ryan Poles signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year deal that guaranteed $32 million. A month later, he signed Nahshon Wright to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million.

So keep an open mind before you pre-judge the additions Poles has made as free agency begins again.

On Day 1 of the legal tampering period, with deals becoming official on Wednesday, Poles added safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush. On Day 2, he added veteran receiver/returner Kalif Raymond, cornerback Cam Lewis, defensive end Kentavius Street and lost Wright to the Jets.

Wright had a breakout season as a takeaway machine and was a surprise star of the defense. Meanwhile, Odeyingbo had one sack in eight games and is rehabbing a torn Achilles he suffered in early November.

That’s why they play the games, right?

With an ascendant quarterback entering the third year of a rookie deal and a fan base salivating for an improvement over last year’s inspiring playoff return, Poles has to not only plug the holes on his roster but also find difference-makers to help Ben Johnson’s team go from good to better to maybe even best. Where he finds them and how much he pays them is the unknown part.

In smaller moves, he signed defensive tackle Neville Gallimore; re-upped the backup to the backup quarterback, Case Keenum; and brought back left tackle Braxton Jones on a one-year deal. Given that there aren’t any shovels in the ground in Arlington Heights (or Hammond, Ind.), Poles’ renovation project on the Bears roster is the most important build for a team trying to play in a Super Bowl before eventually hosting one.

Last week, the major news was Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement, DJ Moore’s trade to Buffalo and the release of Tremaine Edmunds. Poles then traded for center Garrett Bradbury to replace Dalman, and re-signed linebacker D’Marco Jackson and special teams ace Daniel Hardy for roster depth.

“As the Roster Churns” would be a helluva daytime soap opera on the NFL Network.

The big subtractions inspired emergency podcasts and days-long text chains, but so far, the additions have been just ripples in the pond. Is Poles blowing his opportunity to “go for it,” or is he a maturing GM showing he knows how to run a team for the long haul? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer.

I’ve been critical of Poles in the past and surely will be critical of him again, but I’d like to think he’s getting better at his job. The guy makes some questionable moves that are first-guessed, if not second, but he’s also built the core of a contending team. So now the goal for every offseason should be to make it incrementally better.

Poles has gotten himself in trouble when he’s taken big swings with faulty information, acquiring high-priced, or costly to acquire, guys who were injury-prone or just ineffective.

With limited salary-cap room and a stated goal of sustained success, Poles will benefit, I think, from these constraints. Given the stability on offense right now, his success will be defined by what kind of players he’s acquired for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Last season, Allen’s unit created havoc with takeaways despite a general lack of a consistent pass rush and some problems stopping the run.

The Bears led the league with 23 interceptions last season and four players accounted for 18 of them. None of those four are expected to return. Wright was second on the team with five interceptions, and he’ll play for the Jets on a modest one-year deal. While he had several memorable moments — his strip of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on the “tush push” was incredible — he also got picked on in coverage.

Kevin Byard III led the Bears with seven picks, but Monday’s addition of Bryant makes him expendable. Edmunds (four) is already gone, released and signed with the Giants. C.J. Gardner-Johnson (two) was just a rental.

Bryant turns 27 this month, while Byard, a valued leader, will be 33 when the season begins. Bryant is younger, faster, can play both safety positions and nickel corner, and was regarded as one of the best free agents on the market. I don’t want to say it’s an upgrade because that would demean Byard, an All-Pro in every facet. But it’s the kind of tradeoff a winning GM makes. Bryant could be a star in Chicago.

Big shout out to Bears Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard, a unanimous choice this season for the Jeff Dickerson Media Good Guy Award, given by the Chicago chapter of the @PFWAwriters annually to recognize professionalism, courtesy and candor in dealing with reporters.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/CMFuzdi5es

— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 23, 2025

 

The other big addition on Monday was Bush, who should also pay immediate dividends. At the NFL Combine, Poles noted that he wanted to improve the overall team speed of Allen’s defense, and these two represent a commitment to that ideal.

Bryant and Bush are known for being versatile and playing fast. After battling injuries with Pittsburgh, Bush was a major part of Jim Schwartz’s feared defense in Cleveland. With two interceptions returned for touchdowns, he’ll help fill the hole left by Edmunds. You can’t make the age comparison here, as they each turn 28 this summer.

Last year, Poles focused on the offensive line, a clear position of need, and he solidified it. It wasn’t his fault that Dalman retired at his peak. He replaced him with a cost-effective alternative in Bradbury, instead of splurging on Tyler Linderbaum, who wound up signing an eye-popping deal with Las Vegas.

There have been reports that Poles was legitimately in the mix for pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Maybe it’s best he didn’t get him.

After Maxx Crosby underwent testing today at the Ravens’ facility, Baltimore made the decision as an organization that it could not move forward with the deal based on the results of the medical.

Crosby will remain a Raider for now as other teams can weigh any potential risk…

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 11, 2026

Crosby could still be a Bear if the price has dropped to, say, George McCaskey’s scooter and a conditional pick. But seriously, while we all like to joke about the salary cap being fictional, the bill comes due eventually. Poles is trying to build a year-in, year-out winner. He has the coach in Johnson and the quarterback in Caleb Williams, but while they can create magic, the Bears need substance from everyone else.

Aside from adding two rotational players in the front four, the team’s pass rush deficiencies haven’t really been addressed yet, and I can’t imagine Jones, who was benched at left tackle last year, is the answer there this season. The good news is there are still waves of free agency to go and then comes the all-important NFL Draft, where the Bears have picks 25, 57, 60, 89 and 129 in the first four rounds, along with 239 and 241 in the seventh.

When you’re a team with Super Bowl aspirations, every position matters. Every move deserves scrutiny. And since he’s not gambling on the big names this week, Poles had better hit on the smaller ones. If that’s his plan, it has to actually work. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but as we know, that doesn’t last long in the NFL.