There are numerous examples of this.
One example of playing it safe was the Jalen Carter situation, when the Bears traded back and didn't take the best defensive tackle in the draft at a need position because of the drag racing situation and his lack of commitment shown at times leading up to the draft.
Taking a gamble this year would have been sticking with Justin Fields. Instead, Poles opted for Caleb Williams, the rookie quarterback with the flashy passing statistics who had been dubbed the best QB in that draft for two years. That's safter than counting on a quarterback who three times had failed to throw for more than 2,562 yards in a season.
Last year Poles could have drafted Bryce Young No. 1 but he'd seen Fields at least flash some ability. Taking DJ Moore, two first-round picks and two second-round picks was a much safer play than selecting the 5-foot-10 Alabama passer.
Some might interpret signing Kevin Byard at safety this year to replace Eddie Jackson as a risk, but Jackson's play level declined significantly last year from the previous season while Byard remains viable enough at 31 years old that Pro Football Focus rated him as the NFL's 12th best safety heading into this season. He's going to be part of a secondary that plays mostly zone and started to click last year. So this seems like only a mild risk, if any.
Poles did take three big gambles with this roster, though, and here they are:
3. No Established Defensive End Addition
They're relying on DeMarcus Walker to improve and one of their two young defensive ends, either Dominique Robinson or rookie Austin Booker, to provide relief in their rush rotation.
The reason this doesn't rank as a higher risk is they really lost nothing at defensive end since last year and that group was sufficient for helping Montez Sweat off the other side once he arrived.
Walker's contribution last year is greatly underrated, possibly because Pro Football Focus gave him such a low grade at 84th of 112 edge players. They ranked him low as a run defender but the Bears were No. 1 against the run after being 31st the previous year. This upgrade didn't happen by accident and it sure didn't happen because Yannick Ngakoue stopped the run. Walker was a huge step up as a run defender over Ngakoue, Robinson and Robert Quinn. His pass rush was underrated by PFF, as well. He had 12 of his career-high 22 pressures in the final seven games after the arrival of Sweat. He had eight of his 22 pressures in the final four games, once they had lost Ngakoue for the season.
So they have one veteran answer. The fact they still could bring in another veteran edge makes this less of a gamble at this time. This could change if opening day arrives and they're stil actively looking for defensive end help.
