Caleb Williams has immense potential for the Chicago Bears, but his rookie year has been marked by less-than-ideal coaching.
In the first 12 games of his career, he was coached by Matt Eberflus, whose tenure with the team fell short of expectations until he was fired last Friday after mismanaging the final drive in the Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown took over as interim coach.
However, the Bears could be considering a more promising long-term solution, including a potential trade for Kyle Shanahan. The San Francisco 49ers coach fueled further speculation by praising the No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft during a press conference on Wednesday:
“As talented as there is… As good of a thrower as there is, born to play the position, got the athletic ability to do whatever, he’s got the speed to do whatever. He’s gotten a lot of playing time, he’s getting better as this year goes,” he said.
“I think he’s getting a lot more consistent. I think he’s been playing his best ball probably here the last few weeks.”
Kyle Shanahan on #Bears QB Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/XHzqxrRR1c
— 🎡 (@CalebToDJ) December 4, 2024
Caleb Williams vows to “keep going” despite discontent with Bears’ coaching changes
Change is something that Caleb Williams has been familiar with throughout his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., he initially moved to Oklahoma to pursue his collegiate dreams before transferring to USC and becoming an electric Heisman winner.
As a pro, he has seen his fair share of change as well. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who had been brought in to facilitate his progress, was fired on Nov. 12 after a calamitous home loss against the lowly New England Patriots, which saw the Bears kept out of the end zone. Then came Matt Eberflus.
Despite these midseason changes, Caleb Williams said the Bears should continue believing in each other:
“We have to just believe in each other regardless of the amount of time we’ve gotten together, the amount of time that he’s been able to call plays or scheme things together for us and things like that,” he said.
“We’re not necessarily meant to be consistent for 365 days. So that is the battle to fight for myself, for my teammates and coaches and everybody.”
The Bears visit the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET (3:25 p.m. CT) on Fox.
