For the majority of the offseason, the most respected voices in sports have pointed to the Bears drafting USC's Caleb Williams and moving off of Justin Fields.
With the Senior Bowl on deck this Saturday, that thinking has only strengthened.
"I would be very surprised if Caleb Williams wasn't a Chicago Bear," NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said on NFL Network reporting from the Senior Bowl, according to multiple reports.
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Jeremiah is a strong supporter of Williams, saying on ESPN 1000 last week that the Bears would have the "most talented quarterback in the division" if they selected Williams. Now, it appears the Bears might be leaning that way, as there hasn't been any reported chatter about the Bears making the No. 1 pick available.
Williams, 22, has played the last three seasons with the USC Trojans. He threw for over 4,500 yards and 42 touchdowns, earning the Heisman Trophy award during his sophomore season. This past season, he threw for north of 3,600 yards and 30 touchdowns, finishing his season with a 170.1 pass efficiency rating.
He's projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. But with Fields on the Bears roster, it's uncertain whether they will use the pick to draft Williams or trade it to recoup future assets. Last year, stuck in the same scenario, they opted to keep Fields, passing on the likes of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. But pundits believe Williams is too talented to pass on.
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What would that mean for Fields if the Bears favored Williams? NFL expert Albert Breer recently wrote the Bears will likely try to trade Fields around the NFL scouting combine.
"If Chicago wants to extract the best value it can for Justin Fields, it’d be preferable to get the process of finding a trade partner off the ground between now and the beginning of March," Breer wrote in his latest mailbag.
"Once the league year starts, quarterback spots across the NFL will start to fill up. Kirk Cousins will decide on a home. Baker Mayfield will, too. And so will scores of others. So if the Bears drag their feet on this, they could miss the market at the position. ... That’s why I’d bet that Fields could be moved around the time of the NFL Scouting Combine or so … if I were a betting man."
The new league year begins on March 13. The NFL scouting combine will commence a little over two weeks before that, between Feb. 27-March 4. Would the Bears be willing to part with Fields by then?
Breer says he'd be surprised if the Bears made the first pick available for trade. He also said it's "even odds" for the Bears to pick USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick.