USC quarterback Caleb Williams looks on before a game against UCLA in November.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Is this one The One?
Not like the other ones through the decades — the unqualified, the overrated, the toothless, the armless, the hoped for and the done for.
After all these years, is Caleb Williams the one who will make the Bears and their fans forget about the team’s sad history at quarterback? About Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn, Rick Mirer, Cade McNown, Mike Glennon and Caleb Hanie? About the mighty swings and misses on Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields?
That will be the dream when the Bears choose first overall Thursday in the NFL Draft. If Williams is as good as advertised, the former USC quarterback will have a stadium named after him when the franchise wants a new one in 25 years.
General manager Ryan Poles is keeping his cards close to his vest, but if he doesn’t use the No. 1 pick on Williams, it will be beyond an upset. Somewhere, someone will start taking a chisel to a blank gravestone.
Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL — and certainly not inside Halas Hall — but there’s little doubt Williams is considered the top quarterback in a class that has more than a few good ones. You’re right: It would be so in keeping with Bears history for Poles to go against conventional thinking and choose another quarterback, but this is no time to play hero. The franchise never has had this opportunity before. This is the time to go with the purported sure thing. Everything points to the kid being worth it. He can make all the throws, and he can run. He doesn’t just want to be great, he’ll be shocked if he isn’t great in the NFL. The only time the Bears have seen something like him is across a line of scrimmage.
The risks and the rewards are huge. If Poles is wrong about Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye becomes the Patrick Mahomes of this draft class, he’ll make former Bears GM Ryan Pace look misunderstood. But if Poles is right about Williams, if the kid is a once-in-a-decade talent, he’ll get a statue outside Caleb Williams/Costco Stadium.
Why, yes, this does feel odd and more than a bit disorienting. A mountain of ugly history swept away with one Roger Goodell announcement, just like that? That’s the idea. From zero to 60 mph in the blink of an eye. That’s the prize for decades of mediocre-to-bad quarterbacking. That’s how winning the lottery works.
Growing pains are a good possibility for Williams. The Texans’ C.J. Stroud — another quarterback the Bears could have drafted — had a fabulous rookie season in 2023, but he’s an anomaly. Toddlers fall, puppies make messes and young quarterbacks struggle. Williams will struggle.
But there’s no point in tiptoeing around here. We know what he’s supposed to be and so does he, which is why he has talked openly about winning eight Super Bowls, one more than Tom Brady’s record seven. You want to tell him to slow down, but, you know, kids these days.
I realize the amount of pressure all of this puts on a 22-year-old. But there’s no avoiding the elements involved here: an original NFL franchise, a calamity of quarterbacks for the last 75 years and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Start saving, savior.
Chicago has fallen for many false prophets. This isn’t that. Watch for both arm strength and accuracy out of Williams. When you see it, you finally will understand what you’ve been missing. I know, I know: He had a bad game against Notre Dame last season, with one touchdown pass and three interceptions in a loss. Every Fighting Irish fan and every can’t-let-go Fields fan will tell you all about it. But he had a combined 29 touchdown passes and two interceptions the rest of the season. Perhaps that’s worth considering. Just a thought.
There will be talk that we’re building up Williams so that we can tear him down when he inevitably fails. Listen, my eyes are scarred from watching inept Bears quarterbacks. I would love some optical relief. And so would you. How much more fun would watching a great quarterback be than debating whether Fields is good or bad?
Is Williams The One? There’s no point in thinking he isn’t. Right now, he’s the one and only, the answer to Bears fans’ prayers. They’ll know soon enough whether anyone up there is listening. For now, though, they should enjoy what they’ve never had before: a real, live quarterback.