Why Ryan Poles wants to target Wave 2 free agents originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In two weeks, new Bears GM Ryan Poles will get his first crack at signing free agents. There are plenty of positional needs on the roster, like cornerback, wide receiver, linebacker and safety. Poles has intimated change is coming on the offensive line too. With so many holes to fill, it’s anyone’s guess where Poles makes his start, but he has suggested it won’t be with a big splash, but rather in the second and third waves of free agency.
“The price points come down a little bit because at the end of the day, you're going to overpay in free agency,” Poles said.
Poles could be putting up a public smokescreen with statements like that, trying to mask his true intentions from rival GMs. But it’s easy to see why he could be speaking genuinely.
The price Poles pays this offseason is important, because the team only has 47 players under contract next season, with just over $25.5 million in cap space. The team could probably take one big swing at a marquee free agent and still afford to fill out the roster, but not more than that. The Bears also already have several big ticket players on their roster, in Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn and Eddie Jackson.
Beyond the dollars, targeting wave two players makes sense for the type of team Poles wants to assemble in Chicago.
“You’re going to have some players that are motivated, they've got a chip on their shoulder and they want to get back to free agency and go at it again, so they play with a purpose,” Poles said.
Those players are hard to find, but it’s similar to the formula Ryan Pace used when he initially signed Akiem Hicks and Cordarrelle Patterson. Each man signed a two year, $10 million deal, according to Spotrac, and each man made major contributions over their Bears tenures. In Hicks’ case, he earned a significant contract extension due to his impactful play.
“It's very hard to stay super motivated,” Poles said. “You’ve got to be a special human being to be in that first wave and keep going. You want your name etched in the stadium. That's what kind of mentality you're going to have. So I definitely think there's a lot of good value down there.”
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