Once the first few minutes of the 2024 NFL Draft make Caleb Williams the next Chicago Bears quarterback, Coach Matt Eberflus' work starts. The star signal-caller out of USC has some unique aspects to his game that may not be replicated by a lot of individuals in the league. However, a certain pundit posits that his style of play might be similar to Kyler Murray's. This is why it might not be a surprise that he gets the same treatment as the Arizona Cardinals quarterback.
What's the plan?
A lot of the reason why Caleb Williams has to be treated like Kyler Murray in the Bears system is because he is coming into the league with the mentorship of Lincoln Riley. While the great coach has produced a lot of players who were top picks in the NFL Draft, the way in which his mentees integrate into the league isn't the smoothest. Even a league coordinator for Caleb Williams outlined this concern, via Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“The transition scares me for some of these guys where it's just, set, hike, find the open man. You've seen guys like Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield struggle with the transition at times,” they said.
So, what's the proposed solution such that the Bears get the most out of Caleb Williams? It's to get him accustomed to Matt Eberflus' run-first progression system as soon as he gets to the facility. He then pointed out how much the Cardinals have tapped into Kyler Murray's potential while going run-first. Now, it looks like he is doing well with the play-action sets and other types of offensive schemes that are being run.
“That's a good blueprint for Caleb to learn from early,” the coordinator added.
The in-depth knowledge of Xs and Os can't be adapted too fast. This is especially to a guy coming out fresh from the NFL Draft. But, this is a good way for the Bears to start developing their quarterback of the future.
What are the Bears getting?
It's very easy to say that Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, and the front office are getting the first overall pick. The title alone is very prestigious and has a good history in the NFL Draft. But, it should not come without any explanation. The Bears have a quarterback conundrum at the moment and it will only get solved if they pick the star out of USC or any other signal-caller. The era of Justin Fields has officially come to a close. This means that they have a new long-term project to work on.
His accolades speak for himself a lot of the time. Williams is the 2022 Heisman Trophy Winner, was voted the Pac-12's Offensive Player of the Year in the same year, and got one All-American nod at USC. A lot of his strengths come off passing. Throughout his college career, he notched 10,082 passing yards on 1,099 attempts. To add more context, that is a 66.9% completion rate.
The most impressive part was that he only threw 14 interceptions despite leading his team to 93 touchdowns. A player like this comes once in a generation. He might get compared to the Cardinals quarterback now but he might just reach taller heights.
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