The Chicago Bears begin OTAs later this week; April 23 to be exact. But rookie first-round quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams dove into the offense several weeks ago in a series of Zoom sessions. They brought him around his potential new teammates, including dinner meetings.
Williams also had to navigate his first locker room controversy. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson remarked on the ?Hollywood? narrative around the former USC QB.
They cleared the air and Williams only emboldened the Bears to make him their quarterback of the future.
Matt Eberflus Compares Bears Rookie to Cowboys’ Dak Prescott
Caleb Williams Aura Won Bears Over
Head Coach Matt Eberflus cites his experience with the Dallas Cowboys as a source of confidence in dropping the rookie into the fire.
?Once [Tony] Romo got hurt, when he went down in that preseason game out in Seattle, the team just rallied around [Prescott],? Eberflus said, per Sports Illustrated?s Albert Breer on May 20. ?And I feel that already in our building here. Everybody?s rallying around him. You can feel that with the reps that we got with some of the first on-field stuff we?ve done, with the veterans. You can see the offense, they?re real supportive, and same with the defensive guys. And his personality is infectious. He gets along with everybody; he?s very easy to insert into a locker room.?
Building chemistry ? pic.twitter.com/6Z8829jgpr
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 14, 2024
This was the luxury afforded to the Bears by holding the No. 1 pick, courtesy of their trade out of the same slot last year with the Carolina Panthers.
It allowed them to utilize their visits with Williams to see how he was as a person.
With that out of the way, Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles have found a middle ground on a plan to rear a quarterback despite both seeing it done in very different ways in their previous stops.
Bears? Matt Eberflus Reminded of Dak Prescott?s Ascension
Eberflus cites the 2016 season when Prescott stepped in and led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record, completing 67.8% of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Prescott was a fourth-round pick, which would typically mean lower expectations.
But the Cowboys are ?America?s Team.? The pressure is never off there. They were also NFC contenders that season, hoping Romo could shake off back-to-back years of season-ending injuries. He retired following the 2016 season.
Prescott has since gone on to earn three Pro Bowl trips. He is set to cash in next offseason in free agency.
The Bears will surely seek greater postseason success. But any would be an improvement now.
Ryan Poles Was in the Room for the ?Best Draft-Day Trade?
Poles? situation in Kansas City was very different. While the Chiefs did have an established starter, the sheen from Alex Smith?s draft pedigree had worn off. He was still viewed as a very good quarterback but Romo was viewed as one of the game?s best.
Still, the Chiefs swung what former NFL executive-turned-ESPN analyst Louis Riddick agreed was the greatest draft-day trade in league history to acquire Patrick Mahomes.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, then with the New Orleans Saints, hasn?t forgotten.
Williams received comparisons to Mahomes more than any other quarterback during the pre-draft process. It is notable, though, that even the three-time champion and six-time Pro Bowler was not his MVP self when he first arrived in KC.
It?s fair to wonder how things would have turned out for Mahomes and the Chiefs had he not sat all but the final game of his rookie season.
For the Bears, it only matters that they get it right with Williams.