Turns Out Shane Waldron And Caleb Williams Have A History
Shane Waldron chose the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator job over what many felt were multiple opportunities. It was a surprise to some. Head coach Matt Eberflus isn’t exactly on firm ground. Taking that job comes with a slight risk. Waldron explained that he felt the opportunity, with a talent core and two top 10 picks in the draft, could set things up for major success. Getting to be part of that was exciting for him. Some wondered if he was pouncing on the opportunity to coach Caleb Williams, the heavy favorite to go #1 overall in April to the Bears.
One would think Waldron is familiar with the quarterback’s exploits. He spent most of his time on the west coast while Williams was lighting up scoreboards for USC. However, it turns out their connection runs deeper than that. In 2017, Waldron was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams and a volunteer for the QB Collective, a series of camps run by NFL coaches meant to help high school quarterbacks accelerate their development. That year, Waldron helped run several drills. One of the big names attending them was a freshman from Gonzaga High School in Washington D.C.
You can probably guess who.
Shane Waldron had an impression of Williams before most.
The quarterback returned to high school in 2018, where he won a district championship for his team. It appears he took those lessons well. Eventually, he became the best player in the region, earning a scholarship from the University of Oklahoma. The rest is history. Williams transferred to USC, won a Heisman in 2022, and now has himself in a position to go #1 overall next month. If anybody can give the Bears some inside information on how Williams takes and applies coaching, it would be him.
The two could end up being good for each other. One of the big knocks on Williams is his tendency to hold the ball too long on his drops. Shane Waldron ran into the same issues with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks. He managed to improve their time to throw considerably, helping them be more efficient with timing and rhythm throws. Waldron already has an idea of what Williams can do. If the kid accepts coaching like he did six years ago, this could be a productive partnership.