The Chicago Bears have concluded the initial wave of free agency, focusing on adding players with speed, explosiveness, and leadership qualities. General manager Ryan Poles addressed the team's needs by acquiring players like Devin Bush, Kalif Raymond, and Coby Bryant, while also acknowledging the loss of key players such as DJ Moore and Drew Dalman. The team aims to elevate their performance and contend for a championship, drawing on the experience of Super Bowl champions and seasoned veterans.
The mad dash is over. The Chicago Bears got the players they wanted.Addition also meant subtraction, but the Bears were looking to add more players who boasted explosiveness and leadership qualities. The Bears know they did that.
Here are our takeaways on where the Bears stand after the first wave of free agency.Bears general manager Ryan Poles was open about what he was looking for. He reiterated that on Thursday."We wanted speed and explosiveness. Guys who are passionate about football. Leadership," Poles said.He got it.Linebacker Devin Bush is fast. So is wide receiver Kalif Raymond, and 26-year-old Coby Bryant has more game speed than the 32-year-old Kevin Byard by default.Raymond played with Ben Johnson, but can also be an effective returner on special teams. Neville Gallimore is a defensive tackle who has a mean streak in his pass-rushing ability. The two-pronged attack these players bring is what Poles wanted. He got it, and he’s hoping these players will bring the Bears to the next level."We wanted guys that are passionate about football that play our style and our brand of football," Poles said. "I know we did that. Then especially, the leadership to continue to enhance our roster so that we can continue to push forward being championship caliber team."Poles did not want to trade receiver DJ Moore. It wasn’t just because Moore was one of Poles’ favorite players. He thought highly enough of Moore to ink him to a $114 million extension. Poles knew he would hear it."My son is a passionate fan of the Chicago Bears," Poles said. "He was not very happy with me at all. I think it was cool. DJ sent him a video telling him not to be mad at dad. It's part of the business."That’s what it was: Business.The Bears couldn’t afford Moore’s cap hit, and they’ll try and survive his loss. The likes of Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze will help, and so will Colston Loveland. But Moore was a luxury the Bears financially couldn’t afford and that hurt Poles.Poles also had to navigate the loss of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman. It wasn’t something the Bears were prepared for, but that’s because they didn’t know it was a possibility."That retirement was a little bit of a pop-up on us," Poles said.Poles had to navigate an offseason of difficult choices and the wrong kind of surprises. That’s the price of winning sometimes."Anytime that you get into postseason play, your window for evaluations gets smaller," Poles said. "We loaded those guys up pretty good, especially the defensive staff. They answered the bell, which obviously gives us a lot of clarity in terms of what we need as a football team."One of the main lines of Bryant’s resume is that he’s a Super Bowl champion. Bradbury played in the Super Bowl, too.Bryant didn’t shed too much of his Super Bowl experiences. He’s moved on to the Bears, but he knows how to get there and win the game. Bradbury knows how to get there."You can't put into words, you can't put a price tag on it," Bradbury said. "It was the coolest moment of my career for sure. Leading up to it, winning all his playoff games. It felt like a dream. I was getting choked up pre-game, with the national anthem. It was pretty emotional."It wasn’t just the Super Bowl experience, either. The Bears added players who have been in the league, understand its struggles and more."I’m going into year eight. I came into this league at 20 years old, so you can say I grew up in this league, so there's nothing I haven't seen," Bush said. "I’ve seen a lot of things, been through a lot of different situations, so I think I bring that type of experience to this team. "The Bears were two games away from playing in the Super Bowl. It was clear last year the Bears wanted to make sure they had voices in the locker room that mirror the places they wanted to go.Last year, it was Grady Jarrett and Joe Thuney. This year, it’s Bradbury and Bryant. They all know what it takes to be in the Super Bowl. It’s what they’ll bring to both sides of the ball to go along with their skills."Leadership, also taking the ball away and just being great each and every week," Bryant said of what he brings to the Bears. "Taking it one game at a time and continue to perfect greatness."
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