NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears building out their offensive coaching staff has me thinking that if the team decides to take quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they’ll do so while giving the rookie a fighting chance at thriving.
Because, all of a sudden, the Bears are starting to look like a quarterback-friendly landing spot. And that warms my heart on a cold January afternoon.
To be clear, the concept of drafting a quarterback and moving on from Justin Fields is still if at this point. We don’t know the Bears’ plans. They’ve not said anything publicly since General Manager Ryan Poles’ season-ending press conference earlier in January. And while we can point to any number of signs hinting that drafting Williams is in their plans, nothing is official until it is officially official.
In the end, the Bears are starting to look like a good place to develop as a quarterback. They’ve still got work to do, but they’ve laid a foundation in a way they’ve never before.
What goes into building a QB-friendly environment?
Patrick dug into some of Shane Waldron’s scheme details last week. I encourage you to read the post to get a better grasp of what might be coming down the pipeline for the new Bears play caller. Because, when it comes to getting it right at the most important position in the game, the process begins with the installment of a quarterback-friendly system.
But before we get to the installment of the system, it truly begins with hiring the right staff. And by the looks of things, that appears to be what the Bears have been doing this offseason:
The hiring of these three coaches should provide the foundation for whichever quarterback is under center for the Bears this season. All three have worked together at previous stops and are part of the Sean McVay coaching tree. In an ideal world, having an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and pass game coordinator from the same coaching tree means the next Bears quarterback will be getting the same message from different messengers who are all on the same page. That’ll be refreshing.
Admittedly, we’ve been hoodwinked by coaches in the past who used this type of terminology to pump up their scheme. Bears fans were promised a better and brighter future with Matt Nagy coaching Mitchell Trubisky and Luke Getsy with Justin Fields. And while I don’t want to fall into the same trap with this new staff, at least we can fall back on Waldron (1) having play-calling experience in Seattle and (2) creating a system that has done more with less at the quarterback position.
Hands-on coaching
One thing great quarterbacks have in common is that they’ve all undergone some strong, hands-on coaching. With that in mind, I’m loving what Bears Quarterbacks Coach Kerry Joseph told the Tribune’s Brad Biggs:
As far as his philosophy on developing a young quarterback, he leaned into some basic tenets.
“I use three things: accountability, responsibility, communication,” Joseph said. “It’s about trust, believing and having confidence in each other. A quarterbacks coach and a quarterback, you’ve got to have those three things.
“Then, hey, it’s about the fundamentals. It’s about developing the fundamentals, developing the mentality to be a good leader. To be a winner. Just willing to compete. There are so many things that I have in my philosophy as a person that I take into the coaching world and into the quarterback room to help develop a group of guys.”
MORE: What is Bears QBs Coach Kerry Joseph looking for in a quarterback?
It is nice to see some transparency from a Bears coach. And it is a welcome bonus that it is from the position coach who will have their hands on a rookie quarterback or someone as toolsy as Justin Fields. I’m digging that Joseph values fundamentals, communication, accountability, responsibility, trust, and leadership. We often see the quarterback position through the lens of passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Moving forward, we need to look at the quarterback position as an iceberg — where a chunk of what’s real is underneath a surface you can’t see.
More than anything, the Bears need playmakers
Having a quarterback-friendly scheme and coaches who can teach can only go so far. At the end of the day, football is more about Jimmys and Joes than Xs and Os. And as we navigate through this offseason, we need to remember the Bears still have so much to do with regards to adding players who make this thing go.
The good news is that whichever signal-caller is out there for the Bears in Week 1 isn’t walking into a barren cupboard situation. This team has some building blocks along the offensive line. Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones are solid tackles. Meanwhile, Teven Jenkins has been great at two different starting guard positions. But they could still use some help in the interior. D.J. Moore is a bonafide WR1 on the outside and Cole Kmet is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign. However, there need to be more explosive playmakers on the outside, as well as in the running game.
To be clear, Chicago’s front office still has some heavy lifting to do this offseason. It is one of the reasons I’m selfishly glad that Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham and Co-Director of Player Personnel Jeff King weren’t poached by the Los Angeles Chargers. In short, the Bears are well-positioned to make moves that will help this team make strides on the field in 2024.
In the end, from the looks of things, this team is in a better situation now than they were when they drafted Justin Fields or Mitchell Trubisky. Admittedly, that is a low bar to clear — but the Bears appear to be clearing it. And that represents a humble beginning from a franchise that has no previous experience putting the anointed franchise quarterback in a good position to succeed.
