The NFL Draft is still over a month away. The Combine took place last week and we had some interesting happenings. The Chicago Bears appear to control the top of the first round, owning two top-ten picks, including the number one pick. What general manager Ryan Poles decides will have ripple effects on other teams' plans.
Poles could trade the top pick in the draft like he did last year. In 2023, he traded the pick to the Carolina Panthers and received a haul that could bring dividends for years. They used the picks they received to pick up offensive lineman Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, this year's number one pick, and wide receiver DJ Moore. Additionally, the Bears still have a second-round pick in 2025.
On the other hand, there are many who feel Poles will keep the pick. They feel that USA quarterback Caleb Williams will turn out to be a generational talent. The Bears already passed on a generation talent when they went with Mitchell Trubisky instead of two-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes.
That means that Poles and the Bears would have to trade current starting quarterback Justin Fields. Fields is an extremely popular player among the fans and players, However, he has yet to show the consistency needed to properly lead a team.
It appears that the writing is on the wall and the Chicago Bears will select Caleb Williams. One NFL executive feels that Williams could have a hard time succeeding in Chicago.
After Poles had his Combine press conference, a great majority of people felt that it was just about sure that Fields would be the odd man out. Poles spoke about doing not only what is best for the team but also what helps Fields.
"If we go down that road, I want to do right by Justin as well. No one wants to live in gray. I know that's uncomfortable. I wouldn't want to be in that situation either. So, we'll gather the information. We'll move as quickly as possible."Ryan Poles
So it appears that Fields is a goner and Williams is likely the next in the long line of quarterbacks chosen to be the franchise leader the Chicago Bears spent over a century of searching.
Is Williams a good fit in Chicago?
There was a lot of talk over the past several months about Williams not being sold on Chicago or the Chicago Bears. The way some put it was he "had concerns." Of course, The Bears' history of poor quarterback play should be a concern. They still are the only team in the league without a 4,000-yard passer in its history.
Williams spent the Combine trying to debunk the rumors. He said all the right stuff and spoke about how much he likes deep-dish pizza and admires Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. The question is, will Chicago have concerns over Williams, and will the fans, media, and even the players, accept him?
There are some people who feel that Williams could have a difficult time in Chicago and it won't have to do with his play. Getting over the hump and trying to convert Fields fans is a difficult task. We already saw what happened with the team when the Bears fired head coach Lovie Smith.
Smith was extremely popular with his players, the media, and the fans. The team fired him despite having a 10-6 record. However, the team started 7-1. Additionally, they missed the playoffs. They had just three wins in their final eight games. Just one more and they would have been in the playoffs.
After the firing, the Chicago Bears hired Marc Trestman. He was not ready for what happened to him. The players never accepted him. Despite having the second-ranked offense in the league in his first season, the team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs by one play.
The fans and media were brutal on Trestman. Everything collapsed in his second season, and the Bears finished 5-11. There were fights in the locker room and players skipping meetings so they could open restaurants. It was such a mess that the Bears had no choice but to fire him. The fans harassed him and his family and the media had negative story after negative story about him.
Will Chicago fans and media eat Williams up?
One NFL executive spoke about Williams and Chicago. Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain spoke to some NFL executives about Williams and Chicago. They had some interesting things to say (via Bleacher Report).
"Chicago could eat him up, a league executive said in reference to the city's large fanbase and media, per Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
Does he have it up here? a quarterbacks coach, who pointed to his head, questioned.
Jahns and Fishbain also noted another NFL source said that there should be some concern that he and his father, Carl, could become infatuated with the idea of playing for the Washington Commanders as the long pre-draft process plays out."
Seeing how fans are rough on players/coaches who replace popular coaches/players who were cast off, Williams could be in for a rough start to his career in Chicago. We already saw how hard Moore is campaigning for Fields. He feels there is no prospect out there as good as Fields. Moore had the best season of his career with Fields.
Other current and former players are on the record saying the Chicago Bears should trade the pick, load up on more picks and possibly a key veteran, Build a team around Fields and have him lead it. Now Williams will have to step in and overcome those sentiments. Can he do it? We shall see.