“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you. We were hired to break a cycle. The same thing when we were in Kansas City. Coach [Andy] Reid, all of us were brought there to break a cycle. And we did. And no one talks about those days anymore; it’s all about what they are right now.”
That’s what Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in March about his franchise’s historic quarterback drought. You can understand the sensitivity here — when your last great quarterback was Sid Luckman just after World War II, and you’re still riding on those fumes, it’s a bit embarrassing. Not that it’s Poles’ fault — he inherited Justin Fields when he became the GM in 2022, and the cycle-breaking he talked about with Andy Reid happened in 2017 when Poles was the Chiefs’ director of college scouting, and Kansas City took that Patrick Mahomes guy.
So now, there’s USC’s Caleb Williams, selected first overall to break that cycle. There isn’t much Williams can’t do on the field, and while he could stand to be a bit more regimented in the pocket, the explosive plays (he had 59 as a passer and 17 as a rusher for a USC offense that was not designed well) are singularly impressive.
Caleb Williams out-of-pocket bomb pic.twitter.com/3Pogwo4PqC
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 17, 2024
Then, with the ninth overall pick, the Bears selected Washington’s Rome Odunze, who has the attributes to make that passing game much better on the target side. Odunze gives Williams that most valuable of receivers — the guy who’s open, even when he isn’t open.
Rome Odunze turning 50/50 balls into 80/20 balls in his favor all day long pic.twitter.com/U69Hqp8BRq
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 17, 2024
Receiver D.J. Moore was highly productive in his first season with the Bears in 2023 as part of the trade with the Carolina Panthers that ultimately gave Chicago the Williams pick, and he’s the ideal go and post and corner receiver to scald cornerbacks deep in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s system.
Only Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans had more catches on throws of 20+ air yards last season than D.J. Moore's 16, for 482 yards and five touchdowns. Now imagine what it looks like with Caleb Williams throwing him the ball. pic.twitter.com/sZgNc7Nuoa
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 17, 2024
And then, there’s veteran Keenan Allen, acquired in a March trade as the Los Angeles Chargers were offloading players as part of their salary cap issues. Allen has never been known for his breakaway speed, but he’s still a near-peerless route runner, and he was good for 19 explosive plays last season… so this isn’t just an old guy standing on the field waiting for the ball to come to him so he can catch it and fall down.
Keenan Allen: The old guy's still got it. pic.twitter.com/3QJm3YEiZ4
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 17, 2024
Add in Cole Kmet as a more than serviceable tight end option, and let’s just say that if Caleb Williams ultimately adds his name to the Bears’ Quarterback List of Doom, it won’t be for lack of trying on Poles’ part. Perhaps this is where the Bears finally break that cycle.
