A general manager doesn’t put his job on the line by selecting a quarterback at #1 overall unless he’s certain the player is capable of greatness. If Ryan Poles wasn’t sure about Caleb Williams, he would’ve either kept Justin Fields or picked somebody else. The Chicago Bears GM spent months evaluating the USC quarterback. Every single snap he took was analyzed. Teammates, coaches, friends, and family members were all spoken to. Poles did everything he could to get a picture of the player and person Williams is. Once the details were compiled, the choice was clear. Chicago took him without a second thought.
Now, the job falls to Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff to get the most out of Williams as a player. They’ve set things up for him really well. Shane Waldron comes over from Seattle with an offense that did great things for Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. Beyond that was the arrival of reinforcements on the roster. Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and Gerald Everett join D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet to form one of the deepest and most talented skill groups the Bears have ever had. That might explain Poles’ response when asked about his expectations for Williams this season.
“It’s really just to maximize his ability. It’s about leaning on the talent around him. You don’t have to do everything on your own which is a good situation for a rookie QB. There will be adversity. I want to see him lean on us during those times.”
That is to say, he can’t do everything himself. He must learn to trust the other guys around him to make plays. One of the issues at USC was his tendency to play hero ball. Too often, he’d pass up easier completions in search of big plays, often because he knew he had to keep scoring because of the Trojans’ bad defense. He got away with that in college. Anybody with common sense knows that doesn’t fly in the NFL. Quarterbacks must learn to take what the defenses give them. The trick is seizing the big plays when they’re available. If you try forcing the issue, it too often leads to either a sack or a turnover.
That is the problem that haunted Fields during his three years in Chicago. Ryan Poles watched it for two years. Williams can’t fall into the same trap. The good news is enough evidence from his college days that suggests he can handle that transition. Williams is capable of playing from the pocket and taking the easy throws. It is all about learning to do so at a faster clip. Precision and execution. That is the mark of a franchise quarterback. This is done by leaning on the guys around you to make the plays.
