Bears GM Ryan Poles gets brutally honest on ‘challenging’ Caleb Williams

With all the twists and turns of the Chicago Bears season, Caleb Williams has been the main constant. That even caught general manager Ryan Poles’s attention.

Although Williams was sacked seven times in a Bears loss, that was a microcosm of what he dealt with. He dealt with his head coach being fired, and some other organizational moves.

Regardless, Poles is glad that Williams went through that adversity. With bringing in new head coach Ben Johnson, the general manager expects his potential star quarterback to embrace the difficulty.

“To me, it was more of creating an environment to challenge [Williams] more than it was to — I don’t know another word — but kind of baby him along,” general manager Ryan Poles told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

“I think there’s a space for building someone’s confidence, but I think you have to be demanding and challenging of the expectations of what you’re looking for. I think guys respond to that really well, and I think he needs that and desires that.”

In the final four to five weeks of the season, Williams threw 11 touchdowns and only one interception. His confidence improved, and he didn’t look rattled. That was a night and day difference from the beginning of the season.

Ryan Poles hopes Bears’ Caleb Williams embraces challenges

Some of the challenges Williams faced weren’t exactly to test him. Poles wanted him to have the best group around him. Although they signed a barrage of free agents and made trades last season, it didn’t pan out.

Some of it was because of head coach Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. There were reports about Waldron not meeting with the quarterback to go over plays.

There was no question about Williams’s work ethic and his wanting to grow. For him to grow though, they need the right resources around him.

A head coach like Johnson can do wonders for the star quarterback. He helped transform the Detroit Lions and gave them a premier offensive identity.

Even though there might be a sophomore slump, Poles thinks that isn’t the case. Williams’s work ethic and dedication to improving himself and his teammates is unmatched.

Now, it is about challenging him from an on-the-field perspective. If the Bears can do that, they can make some serious progress. Offensive weapons like Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and DJ Moore have the potential to be great.

At this point, it might be about putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together to make something happen.