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The unique way the Chicago Bears settled on draft Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears veterans met with Caleb Williams in an uncommon manner when the Chicago Bears GM sent him out to dinner with what would be his future teammates.

It’s not every day you hear about a NFL general manager sending a potential draft pick out with his future veteran teammates to have them gauge what kind of player he is.  That’s exactly what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles did, he sent Caleb Williams out to dinner with his core group of veteran leaders to judge the character and personality of the player that will likely be the next QB of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears had Williams in on a Top-30 visit and he was the only QB the Bears brought in on a Top-30 visit which basically tells you everything you need to know about the likelihood that they’ll take Williams.  But what was unconventional was using the veterans to find out what type of football character and personality Williams has and how will he fit in as the leader of the Chicago Bears.

The feedback that came from the visit was nothing but positive and even further cements Williams status as the Chicago Bears’ next QB.

There was a lot of concern about Willliams’ personality given some of the social media posts and other rumors going around about his social life.  A lot of it was overblown considering we’ve seen Joe Namath wearing fur coats and pantyhose in the 1970s.  But the Bears made sure that Caleb Williams would be an astute football mind and he passed with flying colors.

Additionally, Caleb Williams has impressed Ryan Poles at every turn with a lot of the discussion about his goals.  He wants to focus his career on catching Tom Brady and his seven Super Bowl titles.  While some may see that as arrogant, it’s important to note how Poles reacted to such lofty expectations.

The Bears need to support Caleb Williams by building the best possible offense around him that they can from the very beginning.  That means hopefully adding another young versatile weapon in the 2024 NFL Draft.  Williams has set the standard and now it will be up to him to work hard to develop himself as a player, prove himself as a leader to reach such loft expectations.

This is why it’s been great to see Keenan Allen and DJ Moore already working in small ways with Caleb Williams.  Allen showed up for Williams Pro Day at USC.  This was an easy move given that Allen lives in Los Angeles and was playing with the Chargers.  That in and of itself was a major statement by the veteran wide receiver.  Then there are reports that the Bears have already given Caleb Williams the playbook and he’s been working on offensive scheme installation on his own.

This all could mean that Caleb Williams could be light years ahead of the game when rookie mini-camp kicks off.  Hopefully Williams has a top line target to throw to in camp so that they can begin developing a chemistry that can carry them deep into the playoffs in 2024.

By all accounts he moved the needle with the Chicago Bears’ most important players and in year one he can hopefully lead this team to the playoffs.  The Chicago Bears are built for getting to the playoffs in 2024.  The NFC is ripe for the taking in 2024 and it may only need an elite QB to grab it by throat and lead his team on a deep playoff run.

Williams will have to let his actions back up his words, but it seems that there is little doubt from everyone that Williams has done that from the very beginning and will continue to do so for a long time to come with the Chicago Bears.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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