Bears seem unconcerned about supposed Caleb Williams red flags

Chicago Bears reporter Adam Jahns of The Athletic indicated in a piece published on Friday that Caleb Williams "continues to check the 'person' boxes" for the club regardless of any supposed red flags hovering over the USC Trojans quarterback this spring. 

"Well, what you saw with his interactions with his teammates from USC is that he was beloved by his teammates," NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks told Jahns about Williams' behavior during and after the signal-caller's pro day session this week. "You saw everyone genuinely happy to see him, genuinely happy to see him have the big stage — and succeed on the big stage. And so that’s important."

Such takes aren't as insignificant as one may think. Free-agent offensive tackle and three-time Pro Bowl selection Taylor Lewan said earlier this month he "did not get a good vibe from" Williams after the quarterback completed no medical evaluations at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III has repeatedly suggested Williams should tell the Bears to not draft him first overall. Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson went so far as to warn the to-be rookie to not "bring that Hollywood stuff into" the team's building. 

The popularity of quarterback Justin Fields among teammates may or may not be a big reason the Bears traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick when the opening night of the 2024 draft was well over a month away at the time of the transaction. 

"I’ve seen (quarterbacks) in these settings and they kind of have their team of people, their own private team, not their college team that they kind of stay with, and they don’t really mix and interact as much with their college teammates — and that’s not what you want to see," Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network added about Williams' performance during the pro day workout. "Especially coming into a situation like the one they have in Chicago, where you had a quarterback leave who was incredibly popular with his teammates, I think I would find comfort if you’re the Bears in watching how well [Williams] was liked and received by his USC teammates."

As it pertains simply to on-the-field play, most analysts have Williams as the top-rated quarterback in this year's draft class. 

Williams eventually will have to win over his new peers in the locker room, and it certainly sounds like he'll call Chicago home as of the night of April 25.