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Unless something majorly drastic happens, there’s no reason that the Chicago Bears won’t be drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25. Williams has been the No. 1 prospect going all the way back to his first season with the Trojans two years ago after he won the Heisman Trophy, and there’s been nothing to change that.
Williams has drawn multiple comparisons to the current face of the NFL in three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. That obviously creates mighty large expectations, not that Williams needed them to begin with. The former Trojan became more or less a trend-setter in the birth of the NIL era of college football, due mainly to his impressive play on the field, and is already a multi-millionaire.
Being a part of the first draft class that came from the beginning of the NIL era, there have been some question marks from the talented quarterback. Some seem displaced with no real rhyme or reasoning, while others do at least deserve a bit of hesitation, but just slightly.
Nonetheless, if you’re the Bears, you can’t pass up on such a high prospect like Williams. Being that Chicago has been ridiculed for their lack of consistent quarterback play for decades, choosing to overlook Williams for another option could definitely set the team back even farther. He’s the perfect fit for the Bears, and here are three reasons why:
The Bears gave up Justin Fields for Caleb Williams
After trading their No. 1 overall pick last year to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for their first-round pick this year, no one quite expected for the Bears to then come into the 2024 NFL Draft drafting at No. 1 again. Not even the Bears. But here they are.
Thanks to the Panthers being winners of just two games and the worst team in the league last season, it earned them the No. 1 pick, although it now goes to the Bears. The thing is, the Bears didn’t necessarily need the No. 1 pick or a quarterback in this year’s draft. They were willing to at least give Justin Fields another season before they took on his fifth-year option or offered him an extension or let him go into free agency after this upcoming season.
The Bears could have also chosen to trade the No. 1 pick again. None of these things happened and Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why? Because no one in their right mind would pass up on Caleb Williams. He’s too good of a prospect.
The Bears have been looking for a franchise quarterback
Can anyone truly name a Bears franchise quarterback in the history of the team? You’d have to go back all the way to just before the 1940s when Sid Luckman was the starting quarterback for the team. He’s the longest-tenured quarterback in team history playing for 10 seasons. But the one that most remember recently is Jay Cutler, who was with the Bears from 2009 to 2016. Cutler got the Bears to just one division title and playoff appearance in his eight seasons and 102 starts, per Pro-Football-Reference. And in the last 20 years, they have just five playoff appearances period.
Needless to say, finding excellent quarterback play has been few and far between in Chi-Town. That’s why this fanbase is seething for a true franchise quarterback they can invest in. They’ve wanted it for decades. Williams has all the capabilities to truly be that guy. He’s a proven winner with the talents and skill set to lead a team, and by far the best prospect quarterback the Bears have been presented with in any of their recent drafts.
The Bears have assembled a team fitting for Caleb Williams to succeed
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been making the necessary moves in preparation for Williams’ arrival that started with free agency. First, he went out and got free agent D’Andre Swift. The former Eagles running back is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season and earned his first Pro Bowl bid last year. Giving Williams a suitable running back was just the start, though.
In a bit of a surprising move, Poles and the Bears then went and traded for veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen has been one of the more consistent wide receivers in the league since he came in back in 2013. Last year, he once again had another 1,000-yard-plus campaign, the sixth of his career. He will be paired with fellow receiver DJ Moore, who is coming off his best statistical career season to date. And that’s not even mentioning what the Bears could do with their No. 9 overall pick. They could very likely choose to go after one of the top receivers in this year’s draft if available.
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