Bear Digest

Former Bears QB Owns Caleb Williams Concerns

There are reasons why one former Bears QB doesn't call Caleb Williams the perfect prospect but in the end the USC passer receives a strong endorsement.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Bears QB Owns Caleb Williams Concerns
Former Bears QB Owns Caleb Williams Concerns

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Chicago Bears

The most logical reason why the Bears haven't said anything about Caleb Williams or Justin Fields is they know one and not the other.

The coming week in Indianapolis will give them a chance to begin to know and understand Williams better, but a former Bears quarterback already is pointing out flaws. It might encourage some Bears fans to know none of them have anything to do with his ability to play the game, but could impact him.

Mitchell Trubisky's 2018 backup, Chase Daniel, in analysis for The 33rd Team and also in an interview with The Rich Eisen Show, pointed to possible concerns about Williams. They seem rather superfluous, yet Daniel seems to think they're important.

Regardless, they're things the Bears could fill better at ease about if they sit down and talk to him at the combine.

Daniel isn't overly critical of Williams and even tells Trey Wingo on The 33rd Team, "I think he's a better prospect coming out of college than Patrick Mahomes was."

Daniel also points out the film the film he saw of Daniel compared to his junior Heisman-winning season and last year's struggles down the stretch had more to do with the team.

"I think that the offensive line for USC was just awful last year and that's putting it nicely," Daniel said.

However, he also is worried about the fact Williams played virtually no snaps under center. It was all in shotgun.

Daniel said he had a similar college background and it didn't help in the NFL.

"I didn't feel comfortbable under center until like Year 3 and Year 4 for in the NFL," Daniel said. "And when I was with the Saints it was heavy play-action under center with (Drew) Brees."

This is all well and good but we're not really concerned here with how Daniels felt under center. He was a sub and not going to be comfortable at something new in games partly because he wasn't playing in games.

It's more how Williams will feel that's important and that's something the Bears can learn more about at Indianapolis.

Let it also be known Justin Fields said much the same thing when he got to the Bears, about not playing much previously under center, and hasn't complained about it.

"And the other thing that I am a little bit worried about is the off-the-field stuff and not necessairly the work ethic but everything that comes along with Caleb and whats going to happen and how he's going to be as a leader," Daniel said.

Without mentioning what this actually constitutes, Daniel paints with a rather broad brush. But he does offer some advice for Williams in this regard. It sounds like Matt Nagy saying "Just B U."

"All I know is when you go into an NFL locker room—and I don't want to speculate here because I don't think that's good—but when you go into an NFL locker room, if you're not 100 percent authentic in your true self you're going to get found out pretty soon as a pro.

"And I'm not saying this at all about Caleb Williams. I'm saying my advice to him: Be who you are, don't try to be atnything else."

These weren't exactly issues video study needed to turn up, and Daniel does have another issue that might be something Ryan Poles needs to think about. It's Williams' lack of an agent.

"I don't really think it's that big of a deal," Daniel tells Eisen.

It's because he assumes there is an attorney or someone advising Williams, but Daniel gave him this bit of advice because he perceives this to be about not wanting to pay the 3% agent fee.

"I do think, though, coming into the NFL I would absolutely hire an agent," Daniel said. "And a lot of guys don't understand this 3% rate, it's negotiable. Like, I know guys who are paying 1%, 2%, 3%."

Daniel does point out it worked out for Lamar Jackson doing this but that was after Jackson was already in the league.

Even after his glowing comparison to Mahomes, Daniel isn't ready to call Williams the most NFL-ready QB in this draft and that should be a concern if you're the Bears with an opportunity to take the most NFL-ready draft.

He also doesn't call Williams the best QB-athlete. He sees Jayden Daniels as easily the most athletic of the class.

"I do think out of really Caleb, Jayden and Drake, I do think (Maye's) the most pro ready," Daniel said.

The reason for this, obviously, is better passing from within the pocket and a pro style. Williams' play off script trumps all of this and is the reason for comparison to Mahomes.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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