New Bears general manager Ryan Poles has found his right-hand man. The team announced on Saturday Poles hired Ian Cunningham to be his assistant GM, and help him lead the front office at Halas Hall.
Before taking this assistant GM job, Cunningham worked as the Eagles director of player personnel. In that role, Cunningham oversaw “the college scouting department while also doing crossover work on the pro scouting side in collaboration with co-director of player personnel Brandon Brown,” per the Eagles.
Cunningham comes from a scouting background. He joined the Ravens front office as a player personnel assistant in 2008. Cunningham was promoted to an area scout in 2013. Two years later the team added a second area to his purview.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
In 2017, Cunningham left Baltimore for Philadelphia to take their director of college scouting job. In 2019 he was promoted to assistant director of player personnel. The Eagles made Cunningham their director of player personnel in 2021.
Cunningham is also a former offensive lineman, like Poles. Cunningham started 31 games for the Virginia Cavaliers. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008, but didn’t make the final roster, prompting him to join the Ravens front office.