Usually, it feels like teams don’t become set on a specific quarterback going into a draft until around March or April. There is lots of work to do in that time, particularly with the scouting combine, private visits, and pro days. Those are the best opportunities for teams to meet and converse with the players. One would think the Chicago Bears planned to do the same, and they do. However, according to several top insiders, it sure sounds like they’ve already made up their minds. Everybody is convinced Caleb Williams will be the pick.
The obvious question is how they reached this conclusion despite not going through the entire process yet. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network finally hinted at why that is. Based on what he’s heard, people in the building think Williams is “special.” Upcoming interviews are seen as a way to make sure he checks the necessary mental boxes. Get comfortable with the person.
This would lead many to think the Bears aren’t nearly as impressed by the other top quarterback options in this class, like Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy.
The Caleb Williams stance for Chicago didn’t come from nowhere.
People surprised by this must remember something. GM Ryan Poles and his scouts didn’t suddenly start evaluating the USC quarterback over the past few months. They’ve had eyes on him for the better part of three years since he was a freshman at Oklahoma. During that time, they not only watched him on the field but also the sidelines, how he interacted with teammates and coaches. They likely have spoken to everybody within his sphere, getting a gauge of the type of competitor he is and his work ethic. Chicago did the same with Maye and Daniels, too.
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The fact the Bears are already zeroed in on Caleb Williams should tell you something. They feel he is the total package. What a franchise quarterback should be. Only one thing can derail this process. That is, if he bombs during interviews. Expectations are it won’t happen. By all accounts, he’s a good kid with a sharp head on his shoulders. Unless another team swoops in with a ridiculous trade offer, it sounds like Williams will be a Bear by the end of April. The only question aside from that is what happens to Justin Fields.
If Fields is traded away and wins a SB like Farve, Plunkett, Breese, and Young did, and Williams busts (80% chance). Warren should clean house top to bottom and reset the entire fiasco that has been the Chicago Bears legacy for decades. Fields has been surrounded by incompetence, sub optimal talent and inexperienced coaching. Poor coaching and poor talent evaluation is where the Bears FAILED over the years. Lombardi, Halas, Shula. Belechick, Parcels, Landry, Reid, Caroll and others are examples of coaches who have built consistent playoff quality teams for long decorated careers. Its the COACHING that makes the difference… Read more »
True dat Melhus.
Poles keeps his cards close to the vest. The anticipation that builds is almost agonizing. I was looking at another site in which a recent message board topic showed a number of articles from 2023 predicting with all certainty that the Bears would draft Jalen Carter.
All of this noise about Williams and Fields has one thing in common. None of it is coming from Halas Hall, Ryan Poles, or any actual Bears source. All the ‘connected’ insiders do is speculate, do some of their own evaluation, and listen to what other evaluators think. Sometimes they are right. Predicting Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars at #1 overall wasn’t rocket science. But many of them missed on Cleveland picking Mayfield #1 overall, and Allen going to the Bills (one pick before the Bears – imagine what could have been if Pace had seen that Allen would be… Read more »
Yep, should have a better idea in between the combine and FA. If we go balls out in FA while signing another edge at $20+ million it’s a pretty safe bet what we are doing. You add a $15+ million WR on that? It’s a guarantee. Still have to tag or sign JJ. Along with other pieces. A team could trade for JF during that time as well to have a clearer picture of how they attack the offseason. I would think over the next 3-6 weeks we will have our answer. To this point all signs and chatter lead… Read more »
if the bears DONT make JFQB1 the FRANCHISE qb than this 37 year bearsfan will burn over 100 jerseys and NEVER watch another NFL game!