INDIANAPOLIS — Few problems have persistently pestered Bears general manager Ryan Poles like the defensive line. The trouble started as soon as he walked in the building.
Poles inherited a talent shortage, a salary-cap nightmare and depleted draft capital from predecessor Ryan Pace in 2022, and it was impossible to solve all those issues at once. He unloaded future Hall of Fame pass rusher Khalil Mack in a well-reasoned move to gain cap space and a second-round pick, but the Bears have had the fewest sacks in the NFL since.
Poles’ first big swing in free agency was that same year when he agreed to a deal with up-and-coming defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi that would’ve given him top-10 pay at the position only for him to fail the Bears’ physical and negate it. Ogunjobi has been a starter ever since, and the Bears are still looking for a game-changing defensive tackle.