Chicago Bears common supervisor Ryan Poles didn’t consider he would discover frequent floor with Roquan Smith on contract extension numbers.
That was the prevailing purpose Poles despatched the fifth-year linebacker — the NFL’s main tackler in 2022, a staff captain and one of many Bears’ finest gamers — to the Baltimore Ravens, one in every of three trades the rookie GM made in every week.
In a information convention Tuesday at Halas Hall about an hour after the NFL commerce deadline, Poles stated the Bears and Smith shared their remaining numbers earlier than Week 1. Over the primary eight weeks of the season, Poles weighed Smith’s match within the Bears protection and his worth to the staff towards his requested contract.
As Smith made identified in August when he made a public commerce request, he and the Bears valued his future with the staff otherwise, a scenario made harder by the actual fact Smith didn’t have an agent. And whereas Poles stated he needs gamers to suppose extremely of themselves, that hole finally ended Smith’s tenure in Chicago.
“The reality of it is that you have to ask yourself a question: Are we ever going to find that middle ground?” Poles stated. “And from our earlier conversations you collect that info, and it felt prefer it was extremely unlikely.
“So then are you able to take the opportunity to enhance your roster now? Or are you OK with the chance that he walks away and we can’t use some of that to enhance our roster? And that’s what it came down to, and I felt like we had to move forward at that time.”
Poles stated he was “bummed” that Smith didn’t work out long run, however he firmly answered a query about whether or not the commerce — which introduced a return of second- and fifth-round picks and veteran linebacker A.J. Klein — was a guess on himself. The transfer provides him additional draft capital to drag collectively his imaginative and prescient of the staff.
“Absolutely,” Poles stated. “At the end of the day, I’m the decision maker and a leader and you have to step up and make those decisions.”
Poles and coach Matt Eberflus frolicked with Smith and different staff leaders explaining their current selections. That included buying and selling revered veteran defensive finish Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles final week for a fourth-round choose and buying third-year extensive receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday for the Bears’ 2023 second-round choose.
“It’s important to me, the transparency and being able to communicate with those guys to understand it’s not fantasy football where we’re just plugging names and moving them around,” Poles stated. “It’s deeper than that.”
The commerce for Claypool is a minimum of one the Bears offense and quarterback Justin Fields ought to welcome.
Poles stated he thought it was necessary so as to add one other “impact player” to a receiving corps whose chief is Darnell Mooney with 25 catches for 364 yards. He stated the addition may gain advantage Fields’ confidence and progress.
“I like the way Justin is trending,” Poles stated. “And I think adding another big body who’s physical, explosive, has great leaping ability, can stretch the field — but also is violent with the ball in his hand as well as a blocker — that enhances everyone around him.”
Claypool, a 2020 second-round pick of Notre Dame, had 121 catches for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons. His numbers are down a bit this 12 months with 32 catches for 311 yards and a landing, although Poles pointed to the Steelers quarterback scenario with Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett as one issue.
If a second-round choose appears a steep value, the remaining extensive receiver choices within the 2023 free-agent class had been an element within the acquisition.
“You have to do a little bit of forecasting and looking down the road,” Poles stated. “I just didn’t feel completely comfortable with that. Not to say that there’s not good players there. I just didn’t feel comfortable with not being maybe a little bit more aggressive at this point.”
Claypool has a 12 months and a half left on his rookie contract, and Poles stated the Bears will consider him the remainder of this season to find out whether or not a possible extension is an possibility.
It will likely be “a process” to get Claypool going within the Bears offense, Poles stated. And it definitely will likely be a course of because the Bears protection tries to maneuver on from Smith and Quinn.
Poles was clear he doesn’t suppose it’s OK for the protection to take a step again, although that is likely to be a practical expectation given the sacrifices Poles made within the current for the long run. He believes Bears gamers and coaches will proceed to indicate effort and focus regardless of the strikes.
“This locker room is competitive, and they don’t see this as, ‘These moves happened, so let’s throw in the white towel and forget about everything else,’” Poles stated. “They simply need to grind it out and so they need to win.
“I don’t think anyone that’s watched our games — any single one of them, even the ones we don’t win or struggle in — they don’t see the effort, the competition, the fire. Everything we stand for is out on the field, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com