Acquiring Bates and Pryor
For some reason, Poles has a fascination with offensive lineman Ryan Bates. He signed him to an offer sheet in 2022. The Buffalo Bills matched the offer, though. Since then, he lost his starting center job.
Now, in 2024, Poles went after Bates again. He was insistent on having him with the Chicago Bears. This time he traded for him. He gave the Bills a fifth-round pick and they accepted it. Now Bates will be a reserve interior lineman. While it is nice to have some depth there (who knows how many games Teven Jenkins will miss this season), a fifth-round pick is pretty valuable, especially when the Chicago Bears did not have many left.
Where to start on Matt Pryor? Yes, he has played every position except center on the offensive line. However, he has been a JAB, or “just a body.” He’s had problems maintaining his weight. At one point, he ballooned to 390 pounds. He has trouble with his footwork and gets out of position too much.
The Pryor acquisition is a reminder of Poles’ acquisition of Dakota Dozier. After playing every snap in the 2020 season, the Minnesota Vikings felt that he had no business on the line. In 2021, he played in only six games, all on special teams.
Poles signed Dozier but he never got to play a snap with the Chicago Bears. He suffered an injury that cost him the entire 2022 season. Dozier has not been seen since.
Pryor could be Poles’ Dozier 2.0 in 2024.
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