Caleb Williams could have lost his starting QB job had Shane Waldron stayed on

Chicago Bears veterans preferred Caleb Williams to be benched in favor of Tyson Bagent before Shane Waldron was fired.

Caleb Williams could have lost his starting QB job had Shane Waldron stayed on

Chicago Bears fired OC Shane Waldron after Caleb Williams' struggles (Image via Bears Wire/X)

A little more than three weeks ago, Caleb Williams led his Chicago Bears to a 4-2 record. In what seemed like a brilliant start to their season has now turned out to be different. They lost three straight games in embarrassing fashion, leading to offensive coordinator Shane Waldron losing his job on Tuesday.

The now-former OC was brought in due to his vision and approachability. But those traits supposedly did not work out as the Bears offense struggled to score in the double-digits in their last two games. Most embarrassingly, against the bottom-feeder New England Patriots, where they scored one field goal.

YouTube video

Fans have been calling for head coach Matt Eberflus to go as well, but instead, he chose to change OC’s mid-season in a bid to turn their situation around. That means quarterback Caleb Williams will have to adjust and learn if he wants to stay as the starting quarterback.

On the question of staying on as the starting quarterback, new information has come through, where ESPN’s Adam Schefter thought Williams could be benched. But that was before they let go of Shane Waldron. His colleague at the network, Marc Silverman, asked around and came up with this.

After talking to a few people with knowledge of the situation, players went to Matt Eberflus & Ryan Poles asking them to make a change at offensive coordinator. There have also been a few veteran players requesting Bagent starts.

Marc Silverman on X

Now in retrospect, Eberflus seems to have listened to those who preferred Waldron go. But it also is worth noting that some wanted their rookie benched. Considering those were veterans, it points to the fact that they probably thought he was not ready enough and preferred backup Tyson Bagent.

Caleb Williams’ struggles in debut season

Weeks before and then up until preseason, many analysts and fans were hyped about Caleb Williams. They felt he could at least match, if not beat the new rookie quarterback expectations set by CJ Stroud. But in those first few games, despite their wins, visible problems showed up.

Bears veterans wanted backup Tyson Bagent to take over from Caleb Williams
Bears veterans wanted backup Tyson Bagent to take over from Caleb Williams (Image via X)

The most obvious flaw with the team was the offensive line on whom they spent a lot of money in the offseason. But since then, they have improved. But Williams’ defenses continue to wrap up him in the backfield at an alarming rate. In fact, after ten weeks of football, he remains the most sacked quarterback in the NFL.

Eye test suggests it is no longer just the fault of the offensive line. It is evident that the rookie quarterback just moves around too much. It is as if the moment has become too much for him. Maybe that’s why those Chicago Bears veterans preferred him sitting on the bench and learning before heading back out.