There was never a doubt that the Chicago Bears were going to draft quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
That was evident early on, even before they officially traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And once Fields was gone, they were able to really focus on Williams’ acclimation to the NFL.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer detailed the Bears’ pre-draft process when it came to Williams, where Chicago was able to get a jumpstart with install once it was clear he was going to be the guy at No. 1.
The Bears used three one-hour Zoom meetings, permitted during the process, to prepare Williams to operate Shane Waldron’s offense. The first one centered on teaching Williams the terminology; the second one was about installing their base (first, second down) plays; and the third one was focused on red zone and third-down plays.
“We wanted to have our install set for the OTAs, and for rookie minicamp, and we wanted to make sure he had those down during those three Zoom meetings,” head coach Matt Eberflus told Breer. “So when he came into rookie minicamp [on May 9], he was very familiar with those installs. We were very fortunate to do that, and Shane and the offensive staff have done a wonderful job of really making it friendly and learnable for Caleb.”
Now, Williams is in the middle of applying what he’s learned on the practice field with his veteran teammates during organized team activities.
It’s been clear from the start that the Bears have made this as perfect a situation as possible for a rookie quarterback. Not only were they able to get a head start on installing the offense, but Williams has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, rookie Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet, along with an improved offensive line and top-10 defense.
There’s no denying Williams has been set up for immediate success in his rookie season.