Ex-Player Who Worked With Caleb Williams Says Bears Should Trade #1 Pick
Brian Baldinger knows football. He played 143 games across a decade in the NFL. Since retiring, he’s covered the game as an analyst for many years on NFL Network. The guy is among the most respected tape analysts in the business. That is why it is always interesting to hear his opinion on the Chicago Bears. He digested their big win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and came away impressed. Their progress over the past few months has been incredible. Few deserve more credit for that than Justin Fields. While his passing numbers don’t rival a Patrick Mahomes, they’ve improved considerably from last year. The question is whether that justifies passing on Caleb Williams with the #1 overall pick.
Many still view the USC star as the best quarterback in this class. His past three years in college justify the hype. That said, Baldinger has a unique perspective on the situation. Not only has he watched Williams during those three years, he also worked with the QB personally when he was coming out of high school. He was posed the question on Twitter. What would he do with the #1 pick if he were in charge? It wasn’t a hard decision in his mind.
The Bears don’t need Caleb Williams.
Fields isn’t perfect. He still has limitations as a pocket passer, but he’s improving. The truth is he can do things as an athlete almost 99% of the other quarterbacks in the NFL could only dream of. Unless you are close to certain the QB you’re drafting is a future Pro Bowler, the safer decision is to keep the more proven options and continue stacking the roster with talent elsewhere. Everybody knows GM Ryan Poles will be able to find an outstanding return package for trading the #1 pick. He already did it once before.
Caleb Williams is a good prospect. He has a chance to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. However, he’s not Andrew Luck. He is not Peyton Manning or John Elway. While he has physical gifts, they aren’t at the level necessary to guarantee anything about his pro career. Unless Poles falls in love with him during the interview process, keeping Fields might be the safest option. Besides, with the assets he’ll likely stack by trading the pick, he can again revisit the quarterback question in 2025.