Amid Bears' climb, GM Ryan Poles says team is only in 'second phase' of rebuild

The Bears have come a long way from the team general manager Ryan Poles inherited in 2022 and are eyeing the playoffs this season, but they remain a work in progress.

"We knew that it was going to take time to really get all the pieces, and there's still space for us to improve as well," he said Wednesday. "So, we're just kind of in this second phase of things."

As part of that, Poles has significant resources available to keep building in the 2025 offseason. The Bears have their own first- and second-round picks, plus the Panthers’ second-rounder.

Over The Cap also projects them to have $52 million in salary-cap space, which would be eighth in the NFL.

The Bears went 3-14 in Poles' first season as general manager, then 7-10 last season. He inherited a team that was overspent and went 6-11 in 2021 before the Bears cleaned house.