The Chicago Bears rebuilt their offense this offseason. They used their overall no. 1 draft pick to bring aboard blue chip USC quarterback prospect Caleb Williams and they used their second first-round pick (no. 9) to select wide recover Rome Odunze.
The team also brought in veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen via trade with the Los Angeles Chargers and running back D’Andre Swift via free agency.
Before all of that, though, Chicago brought in an entirely new offensive coaching staff, to be led by new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron from the Seattle Seahawks.
Many see Waldron as the key to making this new offense, with all its shiny new jewels, work.
Waldron is Key for Chicago Bears Success
NFL analyst Kevin Clark, for example, sees Waldron as an essential element to the Bears’ offensive success, especially with the rookie Williams likely to have such a prominent role.
“He’s the most important OC in that division because he determines Caleb Williams’ floor in Year 1,” Clark told ESPN. “…What they need to do in Year 1 is easy answers without babying Caleb Williams. That, to me, is the most important thing. Caleb Williams had the most 50-yard pass plays in college football last year. You don’t want to lose that.
“Having said that, you want easy answers. Keenan Allen had some of the best numbers in the short-area field last year. DJ Moore was the third-best receiver last year on deep targets. So you marry every level of the field. Make Caleb Williams comfortable. He is NFL-ready. The footwork is getting there, the arm action is there, he’s athletic enough.”
“This could be a phenomenon in Year 1 if Waldron takes a lot of what we saw in Seattle, as far as the backfield sophistication, the easy throws, making easy answers,” Clark added. “If he takes that, gives it to Caleb Williams, this is a very good quarterback Year 1.”
Media analysts have been beating the “Waldron is key” drum since the Bears first hired the veteran coach. That drumbeat got significantly louder when Williams was drafted.
Waldron Must Bring Out The Best in Caleb Williams
“Waldron, however, has an opportunity for success that exceeds the challenge of producing a productive offense with the Bears — even with a rookie quarterback,” The Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash wrote in April. “Caleb Williams not only is the No. 1overall pick and considered one of the best quarterback prospects of the last 10 years, but he also has weapons that immediately put the wind at his back.
“Wide receivers D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen have a combined 10 seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards. Rookie Rome Odunze was the No. 9 overall pick. Tight end Cole Kmet is coming off his best season. Running back D’Andre Swift made the Pro Bowl with the Eagles last season.
“It’s up to Waldron, who called plays as the Seahawks’ coordinator the last three seasons after spending four seasons under Sean McVay with the Rams, to put it all together. If he can make a Pro Bowl quarterback out of journeyman Geno Smith, as he did with the Seahawks, there’s no telling what he can do with a talent such as Williams, right?”
Potash, however, issues the word of warning everyone knows to be true. If Williams and the Bears offense don’t succeed in year one of the new plan, Waldron’s head will be the one on the chopping block.
“One thing’s for sure: If it doesn’t work out, there won’t be much of a Justin Fields-or-Luke Getsy debate about whether the quarterback, coordinator or supporting cast gets the blame,” Potash asserted. “No matter which way it goes, Waldron won’t be here for long.”
