By far, the most important marriage the Chicago Bears have going into the 2024 season is that of quarterback Caleb Williams and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus brought Waldron in to replace Luke Getsy, believing his experience at working with quarterbacks was what they’d need to oversee the development of whomever they ended up drafting. That, of course, was Williams. It is a big opportunity for the young coach. Elevating the #1 overall pick could be his ticket to a head coaching job in the near future.
However, Waldron also knows developing a rookie is challenging. It will come down to finding what Williams is capable of and crafting the scheme around those strengths. At the same time, Waldron will want to keep a certain identity with his offense so everybody is on the same page. Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky explored this new partnership. He sees one style of offense that could be perfect for them. It will involve heavy doses of play action, with Williams using his gifted accuracy to attack the middle of the field.
Offenses that can operate in that area of the field tend to find more success than others. Chicago should know this well. Over the past three years with Justin Fields at quarterback, the Bears routinely weren’t able to find much success over the middle. This was because of the chaotic action that happened around that area. Reading where defenders are or will be is difficult. It is why people always talk about quarterbacks needing fast processing speed. A good way to ease the burden on them is through play action, which pulls the linebackers and safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.
If Shane Waldron does take this approach, it could mean a big year for tight end Cole Kmet. He will be one of the primary targets over the middle. The same could be true for Keenan Allen, who figures to assume the role of slot receiver. Once Williams gets them established with repeated completions, defenses will have to shift coverages to counter. That will leave D.J. Moore one-on-one on the outside, just like DK Metcalf in Seattle. You can guess what happens after that.
