FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Ian Cunningham and Ryan Poles' first few weeks, months — even their first year — on the job as general manager and assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears weren't what many would consider easy.
According to Kevin Fishbain, reporter for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bears, that much was obvious from the start in 2022.
"They came in and they inherited a really difficult situation," Fishbain told the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. "There was not a lot of cap space. There wasn't a first-round pick. They had a lot of contracts they had to get rid of."
It was a year that "callused" much of the Bears' front office, Fishbain explained, but it also helped forge a path forward. It's those early challenges that actually accumulated into Chicago's 2025 season.
"Which really was this magical run that surprised a lot of people," Fishbain said of the Bears' 2025 NFC North title and first playoff game win in 15 seasons.
That run didn't happen overnight. It started with Cunningham and Poles' partnership — one that was established over early morning coffee runs and clearly laid out long-term planning. It began with the draft. In 2022, the Bears entered draft season with six picks and left with 11.
But as any general manager would say, it's not always where you're picking but who you select.
"For them, they accumulated the draft picks. They made some shrewd trades to get more draft picks moving forward," Fishbain said. "You look at the first pick that regime made, it was Kyler Gordon, who is one of the best slot corners in football. He got an extension. The next pick was Jaquan Brisker, who will probably get a decent contract in free agency and turned out to be — when healthy — a really solid safety."
After that year, the philosophy shifted toward building in the trenches. Both Poles and Cunningham are former offensive linemen, so it stood to reason that their first true first-round pick would come from the line of scrimmage.
That pick was Darnell Wright, who is coming off a second-team All-Pro season in 2025.
"That was their guy who they have been able to watch through this," Fishbain said. "They were able to go through the peaks and valleys with him."
And that's the reality of roster building: success isn't guaranteed or always immediate. But, according to Fishbain, Cunningham and Poles kept swinging — and that became part of their identity.
Cunningham, Fishbain said, had previously seen attempts to build through the trenches fall a little short.
"They made signings and draft picks of offensive linemen that didn't pan out," Fishbain noted.
So, they went back to the drawing board, re-evaluated, and eventually found a formula.
"Last year, they get a head coach who had a vision for the offensive line," Fishbain recounted. "They take a big swing. They trade for Joe Thuney, who ends up being the Protector of the Year. They trade for Jonah Jackson, who had a phenomenal season. They sign Drew Dalman, who was the best center in free agency. They do all of that and end up having one of the best offensive lines in football."
The stats support that claim. The Bears' offensive line ranked No. 1 in pass block win rate and No. 5 in run block win rate. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024, but just 24 times in 2025.
That kind of turnaround doesn't happen, Fishbain said, without repeated plate appearances.
"I think (Cunningham) has seen that you have to keep taking swings knowing it's not always going to work out," Fishbain said. "What they were able to do this past offseason, I think, is a great blueprint for anybody to see that in one offseason you really can overhaul a position group if you have the resources, if you have the right people in place. You can see it."
What's more?
"The 2025 Bears probably validated what Ian would tell anybody, which is it starts in the trenches," Fishbain continued. "That offensive line was so good this past year, and it was the best Bears season we have seen in a long time."
That matters as Cunningham takes over in Atlanta, intent on continuing a philosophy with a proven track record.
"Smart, tough, physical," Cunningham said in his introductory press conference. "We're going to build through the trenches."
Atlanta Falcons General Manager Ian Cunningham arrives in Atlanta! Take a look at photos from his arrival to the city, the introductory press conference, town halls, interviews, and portraits during his first week in Atlanta.
