Ryan Poles Knows at Least One Candidate Well

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Matt Eberflus has ties to new Bears GM Ryan Poles as the hiring process continues with a new man involved.

The autonomy apparently given to new Bears GM Ryan Poles is about to be tested.

The Bears need to hire a coach and Poles has come on board on the verge of a hiring. The Bears reported Tuesday through their website that Poles participated in interviewing Jim Caldwell. It was Caldwell's second interview with the team.

There is no official word from the Bears about how Poles fits into the hiring process, whether it's entirely his call or they plan to make the final decision and take his thoughts under advisement.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breers, Poles doesn't come into a hiring process without knowing one of the candidates well. 

I’ve written a lot about Poles in the last year. He was my top available GM candidate based on his work as a scout and director. He’s worked under multiple GM styles (Pioli, Wolf, Reid) and is his own blend of those experiences. A very good scout but also understands culture.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 25, 2022

Breers reported Poles and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus have "built a relationship the last few years."

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported the two have the same agent.

Whether this is enough to make Eberflus the choice over reported finalists Jim Caldwell and Dan Quinn is difficult to ascertain. Quinn and Eberflus have their second interviews on Wednesday.

However, Breer also said Flores also knows candidate Brian Flores and Poles played at Boston College, although Flores was there three years before Poles finished up at the school. 

Flores is not one of the reported finalists, but with a new GM in place there is nothing preventing the Bears from expanding their list of finalists.

With Miami, Flores' big question mark was relationships he had with the front office and also quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. If he is closer with Flores, it's possible it could be the necessary stabilizing factor to give the Bears another option at coach.

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