For the better part of the last few seasons, the Bears operated like a team trying to catch up.

They had cap space, they had roster holes, and they spent accordingly, the natural approach for a team attempting to climb out of the bottom tier of the league. That phase is necessary, and Chicago leaned into it, particularly as it worked to stabilize the roster and create a functional environment for Caleb Williams.

This offseason, however, feels fundamentally different. Not because the roster is complete, it clearly is not, but because the approach has shifted.

Ryan Poles is no longer building a team from the ground up. He’s managing one with a core in place, and more importantly, he’s trying to position that core to last. The Bears are transitioning from a team trying to become competitive into one trying to sustain it, and in the NFL, that distinction almost always comes down to one thing: how well you draft.

The Bears Are Shifting From Spending to Sustaining — So They Need to Keep Winning the Draft

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