Head coach Matt Eberflus is in a difficult spot. He knows Caleb Williams needs live game reps to help continue his development as a quarterback. The problem isn’t that the #1 overall isn’t ready for that next step. All signs indicate his progress in training camp has been good. This is a matter of an alarming situation in front of him. Health would always be a big question mark with the Bears’ offensive line. Sadly, those fears have been validated two weeks into camp. Never did it appear more prevalent than the latest padded practice on Wednesday.
Nate Davis didn’t practice again. He hasn’t done much of that almost all summer. Frustrations with him are starting to boil over, even for Eberflus. If that weren’t bad enough, it appears Darnell Wright got hurt again just after returning from a different injury that had kept him out for almost a week. As a result, Williams’ protection struggled in practice, leading to little execution. The Bears face Buffalo this week in their second preseason game. As much as they want Williams to play, it might be hard to justify throwing him out there behind a banged-up offensive line.
The Bears’ decision on Caleb Williams likely comes over the next 48 hours.
Chicago plays the Bills in Buffalo on Saturday at noon. If Davis and Wright miss another practice, it might cement the decision for Eberflus. Being down two starters on the road against a good defensive front is not the recipe for helping your young quarterback. As much as the Bears want to get him those 45-55 snaps that can simulate NFL game action, nothing is more important than Williams’ health. If that means sacrificing a preseason appearance, so be it. Chicago must play the long game with this kid.
One thing is for certain. You can bet money the Bears will allocate lots of resources toward bolstering the offensive line next spring. They have around $40 million in cap space and three picks in the first two rounds. It would be shocking if they didn’t come away with a new guard and center by the end of next April. No expenses should be spared to ensure Caleb Williams’ security. Until then, they must make do with what they have. Some good luck would certainly be nice for once.
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@al bundy — You’ll find 100% agreement here, “al.” You also may have uncovered an answer to the “Keenan Allen mystery.” @jmscooby and I believe that the target of the aborted trade-up with the NY Giants for pick #6, was one of the top two OTs: either Joe Alt or JC Latham (as a fall-back). But, when the Chargers took Alt at #5, the Bears’ Ian Cunningham took Poles by the hand — and explained it would be prudent to let the next three picks play out naturally. Cunningham showed Poles (not counting QBs) the Bears would still have their… Read more »
@BearCub30 —
Here’s a math quiz for you:
At Velus Jones Jr.’s current pace, how many years will it take for him to reach 1,000 yards?
For extra credit:
How old will Velus be on that day?
The only thing I took from this article is Velus is avg 10 yds a carry out of the backfield! Show those poles haters what’s up jr!
I completely fail to understand why Poles is so highly thought of. Getting Williams and Odunze in the first round of the draft was great but it was also a complete no brainer, anyone could have made those picks. Look at some of his other wonderful decisions… Claypool, Teachers Pet (Velus Jones) and now, Nate Davis. It seems like when this guy has to actually make a decision it turns out pretty badly. Beyond the obvious failures, the move that bothers me most is the Kennan Allen deal. I understand the guy is a great receiver, the problem is that… Read more »
I suppose Poles thought at some level, he had two great picks in the 1st round, he could get cute/smart/gamble in rounds 3 and 4 rather than pumping the OL and DL. Now we see the result so far–at least a short-run problem.