After the end of the 2023 college season, Caleb Williams reportedly began working with the QB Collective in preparation for the NFL draft. The program was established by two-time Super Bowl champion head coach Mike Shanahan in an effort to help teach young quarterbacks the professional game. It made sense. If you’re going to aim at succeeding in the NFL, best to learn from guys who had success there. However, there was one fascinating subplot to that decision. The QB Collective happened to be a company Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron worked for.
The Bears held the #1 pick. People immediately began speculating if the team might try feeding Williams elements of their offense to get a head start on the 2024 season. It seemed far-fetched at the time. Chicago hadn’t entered the main stretch of quarterback evaluation yet. However, things changed quickly. The Bears became convinced after the combine that Williams was their guy. His personal QB trainer, Will Hewlett, then confirmed to 670 The Score that Waldron began feeding the quarterback snippets of the Bears offense over a month ago.
This was a rare opportunity for the Bears. In almost every situation, a quarterback can’t start absorbing a new offense until he is actually drafted. By securing the #1 pick and reaching their decision on Williams early, the team was able to get a head start of several weeks on it. By the time training camp arrives in late July, the quarterback should have a solid grasp of the terminology and fundamentals in Waldron’s system. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the two have worked together before during previous stints at the QB Collective.
It is hard to believe how well things came together for the Bears. They secured an offensive coordinator who knows Caleb Williams personally. They managed to snag two excellent receivers, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, to enhance their passing attack. Last but not least, securing the #1 pick allowed them to get ahead of everybody in preparing their young quarterback for the upcoming season. It is never wise to assume things will go well during a season. Still, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Williams has early success.
