A lot of people seemed to hint they’d be upset if the Chicago Bears moved on from Justin Fields this off-season. While there was some minor grumbling, the feared locker room mutiny never materialized when Ryan Poles traded the quarterback to Pittsburgh. The Bears GM knew a change was needed. It was hard to win with a quarterback who couldn’t even average 200 yards per game or eclipse 20 touchdowns. He held the #1 overall pick. It was the perfect opportunity to start fresh. So Chicago opted to take their swing on Caleb Williams from USC. Plenty of players were skeptical, including cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
Any player is skeptical of changes, especially at the quarterback position. Stevenson knows this well. He was at Miami when they went with Tyler Van Dyke over D’Eriq King in 2021, despite King going 8-3 the previous year. The Hurricanes finished 7-5, but Van Dyke played well. That made it easier for Stevenson to have an open mind about Williams. It appears he made the right decision. While speaking on the Bears Etc. podcast, he revealed the young quarterback has been a breath of fresh air at Halas Hall.
Winning over a locker room full of veterans is never easy for a quarterback, much less a rookie. These men have families. Their only interests are making money and winning the Super Bowl. That is why the rah-rah stuff that worked in college has no effect on the pros. There is no time or patience for it. If Williams wanted to win their respect, he’d have to take a different approach. By all accounts, he has attacked his job with gusto, bringing energy to practice while maintaining a humble attitude around those with more experience.
Veterans tend to appreciate guys willing to earn their place rather than demand it. Tyrique Stevenson was the same way. He accepted that he’d have to earn playing time as a rookie. He worked his tail off, played well in the preseason, and got the starting job opposite Jaylon Johnson. To see a quarterback have the same attitude despite not having any competition must come across as a great first impression. This is undoubtedly the person Poles knew would hit it off with the Bears locker room.
Every successful season must start with good vibes.
