Insider updates if Bears considered benching Caleb Williams

Shortly after the Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron earlier this week, a report revealed that "a few" veteran Bears players wanted rookie quarterback Caleb Williams benched in favor of backup Tyson Bagent.

During Thursday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Adam Schefter mentioned that individuals within the Bears at least thought about sitting Williams following a third consecutive defeat. 

"There were conversations," Schefter explained during his update, as shared by Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report. "I don't know how close they got, but yes, there were conversations about whether one of the solutions was to bench the quarterback. But to bench him to give him a break, to try and save him."

Much has been made this week about how Williams' play regressed over Chicago's past three games and about how he's making the same types of mistakes scouts noticed while breaking down his college film. On Wednesday, Williams insisted he still has the "full support" of the locker room despite the initial report about some teammates wanting him benched. 

Williams became somewhat of a polarizing prospect throughout the spring before the Bears made him the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. While there was never any indication Chicago even considered taking Jayden Daniels over Williams, some analysts said that Williams needed to spend time sitting and learning as a backup. The Bears ignored such recommendations and named Williams their Week 1 starter in May.

Daniels helped the Washington Commanders get to 7-3 en route to becoming the favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Williams took a league-high 38 sacks over the season's first 10 weeks, even though Chicago had its bye in Week 7. 

Reporters and analysts have routinely blamed the Bears for 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields failing to establish himself as a franchise quarterback across his first three seasons in the league. If Williams doesn't begin turning things around when the 4-5 Bears host the 6-3 Green Bay Packers this Sunday, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus may want to start packing his belongings even though he'll likely remain with the club through Week 18.