The Chicago Bears are set to play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday following a week that was filled with controversy for the team.
The week began with Matt Eberflus stumbling over his own words on Monday while addressing the status of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Waldron was fired by the Bears on Tuesday but in the aftermath of his firing, there was insight on some of the scenarios the team was discussing prior to replacing their offensive coordinator.
One of those scenarios included the Bears benching Caleb Williams for a week or two. While reporting on the week that was for the Bears, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Sunday that while there were general discussions about the idea of the Bears benching Williams prior to the firing of Waldron, it was not something that was seriously considered.
Instead, as sources explained, the possibility of starting Tyson Bagent over Williams was brought up in a broader context during a meeting with team brass and several of the team's leaders prior to Tuesday's firing of OC Shane Waldron. The idea would have been to give Williams a break for a few games, similar to what the Panthers did with Bryce Young (the 2023 No. 1 overall pick) earlier this season.
There were some bizarre conspiracy theories regarding the idea that the Bears would want Bagent to start over Williams but it seems to have been one of the grand-view ideas Eberflus was considering to avoid the firing of his offensive coordinator.
The benching of Williams would have been a terrible decision for Eberflus. The primary purpose of the 2024 season for the Bears is the development of Williams. Williams' development was moving in the right direction prior to Waldron reverting back to the failed schemes we saw at the beginning of the season. With a new offensive coordinator, Williams should be the starting quarterback moving forward short of an injury.