Ryan Poles Openly States Team Hopes To Trade Nick Foles
The new Chicago Bears GM is already proving quite different from his predecessor in one aspect. There is no beating around the bush with Ryan Poles. If he intends to do something, he isn’t afraid to say it. He said the Bears would be selective in free agency. Given their limited spending thus far, he was telling the truth. Now he’s added to his growing reputation for honesty when he came clean on the Nick Foles situation.
When the team signed veteran backup Trevor Siemian to a two-year contract last week, it raised eyebrows considering they already had Foles on the roster. Teams don’t sign third-string quarterbacks to such lengthy deals. Sure enough, Poles met with the media during the annual owners meetings down in Arizona. He stated Siemian is a better fit for the type of offense Chicago plans to run and that Foles is available for trade.
It is merely a matter of finding an offer for him.
Bears GM Ryan Poles says new backup QB Trevor Siemian is “a better fit” in this offense than Nick Foles. He hopes to trade Foles, but says nothing significant has come up yet.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) March 28, 2022
This is in reference to the new scheme under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Expectations are the Bears will re-design the offense around the talents of Justin Fields. In addition, it will feature elements of the Shanahan outside zone system. Such an approach requires a quarterback with at least some degree of mobility. Something Foles can’t offer. He’s never been known for being light on his feet.
Siemian isn’t a pure athlete like Fields but he can definitely move around. That along with his solid experience as a backup make him a natural target for the Bears. Now Ryan Poles has to figure out what to do with Foles. Cutting him isn’t going to help the team much in terms of salary cap. So the logical way forward is to keep him stashed on the roster. Chicago has enough financial flexibility to do this. Given enough time, it’s possible another team may come calling for his services if their QB situation gets complicated.
Until then, the GM is ready to remain patient.