Bears Just Delivered Their Countermeasure To Caleb Williams ESPN Story

ESPN dropped a bombshell a few days ago when it published a report about quarterback Caleb Williams. The story details his efforts to avoid getting drafted by the Chicago Bears last year. Every avenue was explored, from demanding a trade similar to John Elway and Eli Manning to spending a year in the United Football League. It laid bare how poorly the Bears organization is viewed nationally regarding their ability to develop quarterbacks. Ultimately, Williams was persuaded to avoid such a measure and accept the challenge of turning the team around.

Unfortunately, last season proved him right. The rookie was sacked 68 times and watched his head coach and offensive coordinator both get fired before the year ended. No doubt he was second-guessing his decision by that point. Thankfully, the Bears moved fast to correct the issue by hiring highly-touted offensive coach Ben Johnson and investing in beefing up his protection. However, that wouldn’t stop the media from asking the quarterback about the story. So it appears the Bears launched their response by removing him from media availability. Plenty of people, including Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, aren’t happy about it.

Here’s the reality. Williams will inevitably be available to reporters. The questions will be asked. Why not answer them now and get them out of the way?

It’s easy to come up with a response. Something like, “I explored my options during the draft process, like anyone should. I chose to make a commitment to the Bears. I signed a four-year contract. I am happy to be here, and I’m excited by the hiring of Ben Johnson to coach the team.”

That’s it. Repeat the same talking point in response to every question on the subject. Eventually, the questions will stop — and the world will move on. Quickly.

This decision about Caleb Williams is difficult to gauge.

Many will lambast the Bears for being too afraid to let the quarterback speak. On the other hand, there is a possibility that Williams requested not to do the presser himself. He is undoubtedly aware of the story and doesn’t want to deal with the fallout. The team is under no obligation to disclose which. They seem content with taking the media hits either way. They likely hope the time between now and Caleb Williams’ next media session will give the story time to cool off. Either that or they’re giving the quarterback extra time to craft a response to the questions he’ll be asked. Florio is correct. There is no avoiding the topic. Reporters are relentless about such things. Still, the organization seems disinclined to fan the story’s flames any more than they have to.