The Chicago Bears hired Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator. It feels like a solid hire from most viewpoints. Waldron had three solid seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, helping them to two winning seasons and a playoff berth in 2022. The highlight of his time there was working with the quarterbacks. Russell Wilson had his last great season in 2021. Then Geno Smith, a former draft bust and career backup, stepped in the next year and made the Pro Bowl. That was likely a huge selling point for the Bears. However, their intentions might go deeper than that.
Based on every indication from the top insiders across the NFL, expectations are Chicago will take a quarterback #1 overall, and that quarterback will be Caleb Williams. It isn’t hard to understand why. His mixture of arm strength, accuracy, mobility, and improvisation makes for an exciting watch. That said, he has some concerns, like most young prospects. Among the biggest is his tendency to hold the ball too long, keeping plays alive and hoping for a big play. As we’ve seen with Justin Fields, that style of play is dangerous.
Hiring Waldron might’ve been done with that knowledge in mind.
Shane Waldron already has experience with guys like Williams.
One of the biggest accomplishments during his time in Seattle was his ability to get both Wilson and Smith to cut down on their time between the snap and the throw. For most of his career, Wilson had a time-to-throw of 3.0 seconds or higher. Among the highest in the NFL. Waldron got that down to 2.80 in 2021, the lowest mark of Wilson’s career. It led to the fewest interceptions he ever threw in a season (6). Smith had the same problem during his starting days in New York. He, too, was routinely above 3.0 seconds. In his first year with Waldron, that dropped to 2.79. He threw for 4,286 yards and 30 touchdowns.
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It is clear Shane Waldron places a big emphasis on getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly. That comes with the formations he uses and the demands of each play call. The challenge for him will be curbing Williams’ bad tendencies without sacrificing his natural strengths. He accomplished that with Wilson and Smith. It gives one confidence he will be able to do the same with the presumptive #1 pick. Matching this coach to that quarterback might’ve been a low-key smart move by the Bears.
