If Ryan Poles’s assignment as the Bears’ general manager was to make bold moves, he’s acing the test. Last season, his first, he traded star linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chargers for draft picks. In March, he swapped the Bears’ No. 1 pick to the Panthers for wide receiver D.J. Moore and four picks. That brings us to the topic of wins and losses. The reason Poles had the top pick to deal? The Bears finished last season a league-worst 3–14. Chicago talked to Poles, 37, who spent 13 seasons as a Chiefs scout and executive, about growing up in a football family, sleeping at Halas Hall, and, most importantly, whether the Bears will be any good this season.

What are your earliest memories of football?

My mom sent me pictures of when I’m probably 2, sitting inside this Fisher-Price toy box that’s in the shape of a football. In the early ’90s, my uncle Roland was playing at Tennessee, and that’s when football really grabbed me. I was 5, 6, 7, somewhere in that range, and I remember watching highlight tapes over and over. My dad was then coaching at St. John Fisher [a small university in Rochester, New York]. In those days, coaches’ headsets had like hundreds of yards of wire, and I would hold the wire on game day. Then it was time to start playing. I was a big kid, and my mom had to drive me 45 minutes to play peewee football in a town where they didn’t have weight and size restrictions.

After playing offensive tackle at Boston College, you went undrafted in 2008, signed with the Bears as a free agent, but then were cut. Did you think about leaving football altogether?

You’re putting 95 percent of your eggs in one basket, and when you hit that dead end, it takes a second to process. I took a trip to Alaska with one of my [Boston College] teammates to help a family friend of his shut down their fishing camp on an island off Kodiak Island. It was just a trip to get my mind on, like, what’s next. When I came back, I thought, All right, I’m going to get into marketing. I almost took a job, and then my phone rings [about a graduate assistant position at Boston College]. And it just felt right.

Before becoming Bears GM, you climbed the NFL ladder as a scout and in player personnel. How do you look for potential greatness in players — especially in players who are overlooked?

Elite players stand out. Like when you turn on the tape, it just looks different. Where you separate yourself [as a scout] are with the ones that blend in. And if you’re unsure, if there’s gray area, just keep watching more tape. The truth is going to come out at some point. Look at the details in how he plays, the patience, the poise, the body control. You start to see the instinctive players — they may not move in a way that stands out, but they’re always in the right position. And then you start to figure out why. When you hit on those types of players, that’s what gets me excited.

You keep a stoic demeanor. But how do you feel inside after a loss?

We have this 24-hour rule. There are games where you’re almost nauseous leaving because maybe it came down to one play. But we try to make sure it’s just 24 hours you live in that, then it’s on to the next week. From a life perspective too: It’s try to take a second, pause in the garage, and walk into the house with the mindset of being the best dad and husband you can be. There are days when you’re not the most pleasant person walking in because the house has been torn upside down by the 5-year-old or 10-year-old. But they’ve got their own stresses they’ve gone through. So I really have been working on that since I’ve been here because I don’t want to bring the stresses of this job into the house.

I assume being the Bears’ GM isn’t a 9-to-5 job. What are your hours?

No, no, I’m in here by 6 a.m., and I still have a hard time getting out earlier than 6:30, 7 p.m. And when we’re in the heat of it, it’s probably 9.

Do you ever sleep at Halas Hall?

Oh yeah. My first year, when I first got here, it was like every night. There are sleep rooms, with no windows. It’s a good sleep. Now that my family is here, I’m being pretty intentional about trying to get home before my kids get to sleep, at least on Thursday and Friday.

What about time to unwind? Can the GM of the Bears go to a movie on a Friday night?

My wife and I have a Friday date night that we’ve held up for the time we’ve been in Chicago, which has been huge for our relationship, just in terms of talking and having one-on-one time, with minimal phone and distractions. Up on the North Shore, Sophia Steak and sushi at Deer Path Inn are hard to beat. Downtown, probably Alinea, RPM Steak, Joe’s. We kind of find what we like and stick to it.

How good are the Bears going to be this year?

I’ll give you the honest answer. You don’t know. And that’s what makes this game beautiful. There are 11 guys on the field. They’ve got to come together, they’ve got to stay healthy. You’re going to have to have the ball bounce your way a few times. So I can’t tell you how good this team is going to be. I know we’re better. I know we’re heading in the right direction.

A GM’s Rundown on the New Bears

Poles gives his take on the team’s top additions

• Darnell Wright, offensive tackle (first-round pick) “When you go against him, it’s gonna be a long day. He’s super competitive and smart, and the athletic traits are there too. We went to United Center, and there’s video of him crossing over, stepping back and shooting the three, smooth. And he’s 335 pounds.”

• D.J. Moore, wide receiver (trade from Panthers) “He’s a guy that looks different. There’s been a lot of wild moments since he’s been here [in mini-camps], and that’s what he’s here to do. He can separate, he’s a playmaker, and he’s starting to develop that relationship with the quarterback.”

• Gervon Dexter Sr., defensive tackle (second-round pick) “He has all the physical traits, and is a really smart football player too. He’s super fast for his size. He’s probably already a step ahead of where we thought he was going to be.” 

• Tyrique Stevenson, cornerback (second-round pick) “There’s a physicality, a toughness about him. He tackles, he disrupts routes, and he’s not afraid. There’s a level of poise to him that you love to see in a corner.”

• Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, linebackers (free agents) “Two different styles: Tremaine has super-long arms, can run all day, sideline to sideline, and has already taken over the team as one of the leaders. And then T.J. is like the opposite, where he doesn’t have some of the physical traits Tremaine has, but his instincts — how he sees and feels the game — are incredible.”