The Chicago Bears are expected to choose Caleb Williams as the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Williams has long been the heavy betting favorite to be selected first overall by the Bears, and just days after trading former quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bears general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron were all in attendance at the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s Pro Day at USC on Wednesday.
New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen, a friend of Williams’ from their time together in Los Angeles with the Chargers, was also present, embracing the quarterback before on-field drills. However, when asked about Williams in a recent FanDuel TV appearance, another well-known presumed future teammate, Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson, did not assume as friendly a posture.
“You just humble yourself coming into the building,” Johnson remarked. “You can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building, especially with men who have been playing this game at a high level in the league for several years. It’s just something that guys like myself, [linebackers] Tremaine [Edmunds], T.J. [Edwards], and Keenan Allen will see through. What you accomplished in college, the Hollywood things, it’s like, “nah, you have to prove yourself.”
In fairness to Williams, whom Colin Cowherd referred to as “the original name-image-likeness” star during an interview with the quarterback on “The Herd” this week, he appears to be well-liked by his former USC teammates.
And Johnson made it obvious that he would give Williams a shot if he arrived in Chicago.
“At the end of the day, we want him to be the absolute best he can be,” he stated. “Truly just learning who he is as a person and learning him deeper than all the Hollywood stuff you see, actually trying to get to know him and then from there, knowing what pushes him.”
For example, Johnson stated that if Williams is irritated by trash talk, it will be the Bears defense’s responsibility to engage Williams in
“That’s our job, that’s our duty as teammates, to make him better and strengthen him,” he stated.
Earlier in the offseason, Johnson appeared to be one of the many Bears veterans wary of replacing Fields with a rookie quarterback, telling FOX Sports’ Keyshawn Johnson on Johnson’s podcast, “All Facts No Brakes,” that Fields needs more time to “truly develop” with the Bears.
“I think just going in and saying, ‘Well, just get rid of him, he’s not the answer,’ I don’t think that’s it,” Johnson remarked at the time. “I think that’s taking the easy way out.”
Regardless, the Bears have chosen their road forward, as has Johnson, who inked a four-year, $76 million contract extension with the team earlier this offseason, ensuring that he will be with Chicago (and, presumably, Williams) for the long haul.
