Suber, Wiley use NFL Combine to further Bears’ holistic mental health approach

As free agency begins on March 15, Suber and Wiley will also be at the forefront of meeting and acclimating those veteran players into the Bears’ culture.

While this is Wiley’s first offseason with the club, Suber served in that role last year. Bears offensive lineman Lucas Patrick, who signed with the team at the start of free agency in 2022, recalls Poles and Eberflus immediately hitting on the mental health resources the organization provided. Patrick and his wife were introduced to Suber and Poles even shared his intention of bringing in Wiley’s position with the veteran.

“You never want to overpromise and under-deliver,” Patrick told ChicagoBears.com. “You want someone, the leader of the organization in both, Ryan and Matt to talk about that, talk about mental health in front of the team and be open to us about it, but then also hire two resources for that. It’d be different if they were saying this and doing it and checking the box. They’re not check-the-box men in their lives but definitely not when it comes to the mental aspect.”

Patrick, who spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the Packers, spent a little more time with Wiley and Suber in 2022 than he originally planned. At the start of training camp, Patrick injured his thumb, leaving him sidelined for most of the preseason. Then in Week 7, Patrick left the Patriots game with a toe injury and would miss the remainder of the year.

“To have two surgeries in one season and especially in this part of my career where I’m supposed to be playing amazingly and all things are going right,” Patrick said, “it was definitely very tough, and it was good to have both resources. You can utilize each resource in a different way. It’s not necessarily sitting down and going through things and unpacking and it’s not just doing nothing. It can be passing in the hallway. It can be listening to when they’re speaking from the team. It could be a personal time. It can be in their office.

“Just to have that is huge because when you as a player don’t feel like you’re living up to why you were brought to a place, it weighs on you heavy, especially when there’s an injury added.”