One thing about GM Ryan Poles is he’s not somebody who does things by the book. He’s never afraid to think outside the box if he feels it will help his team get better. One of the more innovative things he’s done this off-season was the handling of quarterback Caleb Williams on his pre-draft visit. Normally, an organization does a physical workout, goes through some film work, and then has dinner with the prospect. Those dinners include the GM, head coach, and other key regime members. Poles chose to do things differently.
Rather than attend the dinner himself, he had Williams go to a nice steakhouse with several Bears veterans. Among them were D.J. Moore, T.J. Edwards, and Cole Kmet, all of whom were trusted locker room leaders. Poles explained his reasoning for doing this at his Tuesday press conference ahead of the draft.
“I trust their feedback. And I think that chemistry is really important, so that’s why we did that.”
These are the guys Williams will play with on Sundays. They are the ones with whom he will spend countless hours in the locker room. It is a major red flag if he can’t make a good impression on them. Thankfully, it sounds like the dinner went well. The vets liked him, according to Poles.
“Really intelligent guy. Came across as a really good teammate, easy to talk to, down to earth. We’ve talked through this process about the whole Hollywood thing. He’s all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team. That’s the No. 1 thing for him on top of being successful. I think the biggest thing is: Does he fit in our culture and what we’re trying to do. And all signs were that he does, so that was positive.”
That is to call the pick in on Thursday night after waiting a few minutes after the draft begins. Chicago has done everything in their power to determine if Williams has the traits necessary to become a franchise quarterback. They spent years evaluating his talent at Oklahoma and USC. They spoke to former coaches and teammates about his character, work ethic, and leadership. Guys like Moore and Edmunds have played with successful quarterbacks in their careers. They know the traits to look for. Their giving the green light is one last signal the Bears did everything they could.
Nobody can say the organization cut corners. Ryan Poles knows the gravity of this moment. He will sink or swim with this pick. If Williams turns out as many hope, he will likely go down as the greatest GM in Bears history. If it fails, he will be another in a long line of decision-makers who fell to this organization’s curse. To his credit, Poles doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the moment. He sees it as another step in the process of turning the Bears back into a contender.
