As if the current state of the Chicago Bears couldn't possibly get any worse, Tuesday morning, it somehow did.
The good news coming on Tuesday was the fact that the Bears did, indeed, fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It was a move which everyone saw coming, but not the only move that needed to happen.
Waldron's offense has been about as bad as an NFL offense can get, this season, and the blatant incompetence was enough to finally let him go.
Now, Waldron is currently the scapegoat for head coach Matt Eberflus, whom many believe should also be let go. That move very well could be coming, too, but not until the end of the season. Chicago has never fired a head coach during the season, so don't count on that to change.
But, what other changes might soon be made? In a shocking report from local Chicago media favorite, Marc Silverman, it appears as though there are some Bears veterans who have gone to Eberflus and requested he bench rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
After talking to a few people with knowledge of the situation, players went to Matt Eberflus & Ryan Poles asking them to make a change at offensive coordinator.
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) November 12, 2024
There have also been a few veteran players requesting Bagent starts. https://t.co/h3QSrhZjQ1
Benching Caleb Williams could be a catastrophically-bad decision, but it also just might work
If Eberflus opted to bench his rookie quarterback, there are a few ways it could end up unfolding. On one hand, benching Williams might actually make sense but only for the sake of his overall health and development.
The Bears' offensive line has been atrocious and Williams is getting hit way too many times. Allowing him to sit, stay upright and also working on his ability to get rid of the football on certain occasions rather than taking the hits might be a positive route to go.
On the other hand, there's also an opinion that says it sounds absolutely insane to bench Williams at this point. Making a change at offensive coordinator essentially says that the Bears want to get this right. They want to make this work with Caleb, and they want to make positive strides right now, rather than sitting him and waiting.
This could end up being a laughable decision if Eberflus opted to bench Williams, when it's all said and done. The last thing you want to do, if you're the Bears, is ruin another quarterback. Williams is as confident as any rookie in this league, and sitting him down could have some negative effects on his psyche.
While we all want to believe that Williams' confidence will remain, we don't know that. We don't know how a benching would affect him. We also don't know what that would do to his opinion on this franchise. Would the Bears really risk souring their so-called "savior" and no. 1 overall pick by sitting him on the bench?
There are so many things to be said of this topic, and many different opinions; all of which are valid. This is a fluid situation and, if Williams were to be benched, no one really knows how this thing would pan out.
Also, which players are asking for Williams' benching? And why? What's their reasoning? There are so many immediate layers to this topic.
It could be a disaster if Williams was benched. On the other hand, it could show us that Williams knows how to be a professional, handle adversity and learn from it.
Benching Williams feels like a last-ditch effort and almost another version of the term "scapegoat" for Eberflus, but we'll have to see what the head coach decides to do going forward.