Now that Caleb Williams is officially in the building, and finally the Bears quarterback, it's time to get to work.
What do the Bears expect from their new quarterback during his first couple of months on the team? Ryan Poles shared his expectations for his new signal caller on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"I think it's just getting on the same page as his teammates. He's already started that," Poles said. "He's reached out to everyone. I think he's reached out to a lot of guys on the defense, as well. Getting with him to throw. Getting that timing right. And then getting in the playbook. There are a lot of changes in the college game from the offense he was running in college to what he'll do here. We'll make sure we adapt to his strengths, as well, to make sure he's doing what's comfortable and he can play fast and free."
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Poles is right. Williams has reached out to a lot of his new teammates. He made sure to contact the rest of the selections from the 2024 NFL Draft class, too. He texted Iowa punter Tory Taylor, who the Bears drafted in the fourth round, to let him know his job would be easy in Chicago.
"Caleb texted me and said, 'You're not going to punt too much here,'" Taylor told Chicago media on a Zoom call after the selection.
Williams also chatted with Jaylon Johnson. Earlier this offseason, Johnson shared what was construed to some as a warning, saying Williams "can't bring that Hollywood stuff" into the building. But the two cleared up the confusion and Johnson cleared the air.
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Once he's on the same page as his teammates, Williams will dive into the Bears' playbook. How does Poles envision how the Bears offense will run with Williams under center?
"Shane's [Waldron] gonna do a good job of putting Caleb in a position to be successful," Poles said. "I think with any setup, having balance is helpful in that. And then with all the weapons that we do have, you would think we should have some success in the air, as well.
"But I think we want to keep it balanced, keep everyone not knowing exactly what we're gonna do and take advantage of those matchups - if it's a heavy box or light box - being able to exploit any part of the field we need to. I'm excited. I think we've attacked every level in terms of our weapons on our offense. We're pumped up."
Not only does Poles have an offense in mind for Williams, but he's well aware of the culture he's established and continuing to instill into his new players, too.
"We play hard, we play fast, we play violent. And you've gotta have passion for the game. And if you have those things, you're gonna be fine," Poles said.