Chicago Bears: Colin Cowherd says No to Caleb in Chicago
There has been a ton of speculation on what will happen with the Chicago Bears’ 2nd consecutive first-overall pick in the NFL Draft. Colin Cowherd hopped on the airways yesterday to speculate on Caleb Williams, his camp, and his father’s involvement with where he should end up.
“I do think it’s possible that Washington trades up and Chicago allows Washington to trade up. Because Caleb (Williams) and his group do not want to go to Chicago, he’s from the D.C. area. I think Dan Quinn is considered. The big concern for Caleb Williams, and you have to admit this, is where you land matters. Chicago has never developed a star quarterback.”
This quote started to gain traction when it was thought to be a matter of fact, rather than speculation, but why not dive into some of the background as to why this could have merit?
🚨🚨REPORT: USC superstar quarterback Caleb Williams and his camp do NOT WANT the #Bears to pick him, per @ColinCowherd of Fox.
“Williams does not want to go to Chicago” pic.twitter.com/SvrvbIvxwf
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 2, 2024
Colin Cowherd: Speculation at its Finest
This is all from the brain of Colin Cowherd. Everything that is coming out is his thoughts on what Caleb is going to do, or what he should do, not necessarily what will happen. That does not mean that it doesn’t carry some truth within it.
Caleb Williams is from the Washington DC area. True. Chicago has never developed a young quarterback. True. Everything else seems to be just what he thinks will happen.
As Cowherd spins his web of tales, Ian Rapaport went on NFL Network and claimed that Caleb is excited to head to whichever city and whichever team ends up drafting him.
“According to Rapaport, Williams is not picky about which team picks him. “The Heisman trophy winner enters the process excited for whoever ends up selecting him,” Rapaport reported.”
NFL Draft Groundhogs Day
The draft takes place on April 24th, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. The amount of speculation, rumors, and smokescreens that will go into who is going 1st overall will be sickening. Post-Super Bowl 58 will be a “Groundhog Day” news cycle of 1st overall pick talk.
People have enjoyed nitpicking Caleb Williams. His behavior off the field seems to be normal for a 22-year-old quarterback for a Power 5 team. His behavior on the field has been more in question. Some corners of the internet haven’t liked his behavior in a loss. Or his popular fingernail messages that went viral towards the end of the 2022 season.
Regardless of his behavior, everyone can agree that talent is superior. His ability to throw off-platform is unmatched in college football. His arm strength and accuracy are off the charts. His running ability is similar to Josh Allen. With all those factors, people still want to play the comparison game.
Can’t Miss Prospect for Chicago Bears
Much of the speculation for Williams asks whether he is a “can’t miss” number one overall pick. Some have thrown out names like Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Andrew Luck, or Trevor Lawrence. For the sake of this argument, and because I think the jury is still out on Trevor Lawrence, we will use Andrew Luck.
Both Pac-12 quarterbacks had subpar talent around them (defense for Caleb, and skill for Luck). Both have hot-button head coaches that have handled their expectations differently. Both quarterbacks fell short of their main goal. The statistical data is different but there is one category worth mentioning. How did each of these QBs play versus a top-25 defense? Their stats vs top 25 defenses:
Caleb: 266 ypg 60.8% completion % 13 TD’s 4 Int’s |
Luck: 239 ypg 61.5% completion % 11 TD’s 5 int’s |
David Shaw went on a @NFL_podcast back in May of 2023 to even revisit the Caleb vs. Andrew Luck comparison. The narrative is around and will continue to pop up.
This pathway of discussion for carry on for months to follow, but reflecting on the opinions of Cowherd is an important piece of sports media. We always need to ensure we note the chaos he drives throughout the airwaves.
Read More:
Chicago Keep Justin Fields AND Draft No. 1, Caleb? Bold Idea Or Bad Idea?
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