Picking a quarterback isn’t just about identifying the right talent. Timing can also play a huge part in finding the right guy. For years, the Chicago Bears have always seemed just a little too early or late to the party. They drafted Jim McMahon a year before John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly entered the NFL. They drafted Rex Grossman a year before Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger arrived. Then they drafted Justin Fields a year after Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts came in. That is why it felt somewhat fortuitous that the Bears managed to land the #1 overall pick in a year many felt the draft class was deep in talent. That is how they ended up with Caleb Williams.
While his rookie season was rough to watch at times, Chicago’s young quarterback has matured rapidly over the past few months. Since November 24th, he has 19 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.2. He also has two 4th quarter comebacks in his last five games. It’s looking more and more like he is a keeper. What makes drafting him look even better is how iffy the landscape of young quarterbacks has been after that year. Early returns from the 2025 class are meh. Cam Ward doesn’t look great in Tennessee. Jaxon Dart won his first start, but hardly carried the load. Nobody else has remotely stood out.
If that weren’t enough, the 2026 class is looking even worse based on the latest evidence.
- Drew Allar – Just lost to winless UCLA
- Arch Manning – Lost to 1-3 Florida and has 5 INTs in five games
- Garrett Nussmeier – Pedestrian stats and ugly game in loss to Ole Miss
- John Mateer – Injured
- LaNorris Sellers – Looked inconsistent all year with losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri
The Bears’ selection of Caleb Williams was a remarkable case of timing.
Don’t forget they had a chance to shoot their shot a year earlier in 2023. GM Ryan Poles chose to pass, trading the #1 pick to Carolina. They took Bryce Young, who is 7-25 as a starter with an 80.8 passer rating since the start of his second season. C.J. Stroud has had more team success, making the playoffs in back-to-back years, but his productivity has cratered since mid-October of last season. He has 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his last 15 games. Caleb Williams has soundly outplayed both of them.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Poles deserves plenty of blame for Chicago’s continued struggles with winning football games. He has made lots of mistakes. However, it appears he may have picked his moment to grab a quarterback perfectly. Based on the information we have, 2024 was the absolute ideal time to take a swing. Every other year he’s been on the job has produced underwhelming classes. It looks like 2026 will be no different. Maybe karma was on the Bears’ side for the first time in decades.
If Poles does what most fans do, and focus on highly hyped players at the top of drafts, he gets the results he gets. The physical issues of mid-round (2-4) is extremely problematic. But teams cannot win consistently without depth. A year without injuries is rare. Therefore, the effectiveness of lower round picks, is critical. And the ability to coach them, is as critical as the coaching of first round quarterbacks. If they are injured, they can’t be coached. If coaches can’t produce players from raw physical talent, eventually, either injuries or sheer lack of talent will catch up, but… Read more »
Manning is a sophomore. Technically a redshirt which would allow him to request special permission to declare early but if he was going to do that there would’ve been no reason to redshirt and preserve college eligibility…. just saying he’s not coming out this year regardless of how his team does. Also TBD on the Caleb thing. We still have to see how this plays out with Johnson to know if it was lucky or unlucky, nevermind how the rest of his class pans out considering we had 1:9 also.
I just started 3 weeks ago this web income system that my friend recommended to me and I’ve gotten 2 checks for a total of $9,200…this is the best decision I made in a long time! This extra cash has changed my life in so many ways, thank you!”…
.
HERE_____ www.Jobathome1.com
Poles undervalues the 2nd round. Losing out on Juice Scruggs 2 picks early, then settling on Pickens. Giving 2.01 away for Claypoodle.
The Raider game was us learning how to win on a day we aren’t playing well. We just can’t give guys like Goff all day in the pocket to pick us apart for 5 TDs.
@jmscooby — Scoob, we go back a ways… As for Centers: I liked Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann (2023); and you told me about Tanor Bortolini (2024). I would have loved if Ryan Poles had selected: Joe Tippman (2023); Zach Frazier (2024); or, in the late rounds Christian Mahogany (2024). You’re right WRs are available in every draft — my guy WR, Jahdae “All Day” Walker (an UDFA in 2025) is the latest proof. But, WR Luther Burden III is really a DJ Moore insurance policy. Moore has shown himself to be a “me first” player — who values his personal stats… Read more »