Ryan

Poles

Rapoport noted that GM Ryan Poles is expected to keep his job as the Bears look to replace Matt Eberflus. Interim head coach Thomas Brown will get an interview as well, though the Bears will likely look toward a full reset instead of staying in-house. Rapoport mentioned Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn plus former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as potential candidates as well. Those will be the usual suspects for head coaching gigs this offseason, so Rapoport isn’t breaking ground here. Kingsbury is currently rehabbing his image as the offensive coordinator for Jayden Daniels, who remains the favorite to win offensive rookie of the year, though his lead has been slipping for a few weeks. Caleb Williams excelled with Kingsbury as his coordinator at USC and has plenty of head coaching experience dating back to his time with the Cardinals. While he’s not the most exciting candidate in the pool, the dots are there for connecting with Kliff and Chicago.

RapSheet lays out that the Texans, Colts, Falcons, and Panthers are all expected to have heavy interest in trading up to the No. 1 overall pick. This is not breaking news if you’ve been following these rumors -- the Colts have been heavily linked to a trade up, the Panthers appear to be choosing between Derek Carr and a trade-up, and the Texans could move up one slot to secure “their guy,” whoever that is. The Falcons being added to the conversation is new, but not altogether unsurprising given how Desmond Ridder played down the stretch. It certainly feels like something will come together for the Bears before the draft.

Cunningham has never worked with new Bears GM Ryan Poles, but the two are reportedly close, and this move was widely hinted at ahead of time. It’s a blow to the Eagles, who lose one of their top execs, and another solid move by a Bears franchise that is completely retooling their front office.

Poles, 36, had been with the Chiefs since 2009, working his way up through their front office into his most recent role as Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Long considered a future general manager as Brett Veach’s right-hand man, Poles was also a finalist for both the Vikings’ and Giants’ GM search. There’s a chance Poles drags Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy along with him as the team’s next head coach. Regardless, Kansas City will receive a third-round comp pick in each of the next two drafts for this hiring.

There’s also reportedly no “package deal,” with a GM linked to a coach, and the GM will be able to pick the head coach they desire. Schoen would seem to be an easy link to Brian Daboll, but the Brian Flores-Deshaun Watson angle is still likely in play. The Giants are “expected to have a general manager in place by the weekend.”

One of Brett Veach’s right-hand men has now been contacted by both the Vikings and Giants. In the Chiefs’ front office since 2009 — so pre-Andy Reid — Poles was a finalist for the Panthers’ opening last winter. He has long been considered a future general manager.

Poles was a finalist in the Panthers’ search for a new GM last year but the team eventually landed on Scott Fitterer. He has been with the Chiefs since 2009. Poles has been a hot name in league circles for years. A key evaluator for one of the league’s most successful franchises over the past decade, Poles will get his shot at a GM job soon enough.

Poles is one of the finalists to replace Marty Hurney. Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort and 49ers vice president of player personnel Adam Peters are also expected to get second interviews. Seahawks vice president of football operations Scott Fitterer is scheduled to meet with the Panthers on Wednesday.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports the interview will take place on Wednesday. Only 35, Poles has been with the Chiefs since 2009 and in his current position for three years. Anyone connected to Andy Reid is going to be a hot commodity this interview season.