The question that will follow the Bears for the rest of the season is this --- is Justin Fields worthy enough to remain the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears?
If the answer to that question --- for the Bears --- is 'No,' they will undoubtedly shift their attention to the NFL draft.
Holding, as of this writing, two top-five picks by way of their own and the Panthers' selection, they undoubtedly have strong odds to land the first overall pick. If they do land the coveted offseason prize, all eyes move to Caleb Williams.
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J.T. O'Sullivan --- the ex-NFL signal caller and quarterback film savant --- pennied his thoughts for Williams with Judson Richards in a recent interview.
"It's really impressive. The ball comes off of his hand as well as anybody I've seen on the college level. I'm a big fan of how Caleb plays," O'Sullivan said.
What makes him so impressive?
"He does a number of things well. I think the thing that would be the No. 1 trait people would name is just that he's the epitome of a playmaker. Now, he can get himself in trouble with that. And there's a flip side of that. But he can create as well as anybody. He's got great arm talent. He can make all the throws in the structure, out of structure."
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Going into his final (expected) season with USC, Williams was at the top of quarterback conversations.
However, recently, some head-scratching performances have created doubts amongst some NFL pundits about his earmarked "generational talent" at quarterback. For example, he threw three interceptions against Notre Dame. One week later, he failed to throw for a single touchdown against Utah. In USC's last five games, they're 1-4.
Is Williams the real deal? Will he live up to the hype he earned over the offseason?
O'Sullivan's belief in Williams hasn't wavered, despite his recent struggles.
"I would've written down 'Caleb Williams no matter what' in July and I still feel the same way," O'Sullivan said. "I think he's that good of a player. I think people love to toss around the term 'generational talent.' I don't really care about phrases like that. I think he's by far the best college football player. I think he's gonna be an outstanding NFL player. I hope he goes to a situation that allows him to thrive. We'll see what happens."
Fair enough.
The question to follow, then, is whether or not the Bears can take advantage of rostering Williams. Can they capitalize on his presence under center and provide the necessary development and pieces around him to win?
"I don't think it's a great situation for Caleb to walk into if he is the answer there," O'Sullivan said. "I don't think there are a lot of great situations for Caleb to walk into. There are some teams that are probably better than others."
First, the Bears have to decide whether or not they believe they need Williams', or somebody else's, help at quarterback. Let's get through the last seven games before we seriously talk about Williams in Chicago.