The Chicago Bears have a new offensive coordinator as the team hired Shane Waldron away from the Seattle Seahawks organization.
While the Bears did cast a wide net in their search for a new offensive coordinator, there were coordinators that would have been a clear tip of the cap to where they may be leaning in terms of the decision they have to make at the quarterback position.
Hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman would have been a clear sign that the team was preparing to move forward with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback, while an addition of Kliff Kingsbury to the coaching staff would have been the start of preparations for the team to move forward with Caleb Williams as their starting quarterback.
The hiring of Waldron is a net-neutral in terms of the quarterback decision and there is certainly a path to Justin Fields being the starting quarterback for the Bears at the start of the 2024 season.
Chicago Bears hiring of Shane Waldron is great news for Caleb Williams
Having said all of that, Caleb Williams is going to be the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft and it will be the Chicago Bears making the selection.
While Waldron has affiliations to both Fields and Williams, the key reasoning this is a big deal for securing Williams as the next starting quarterback of the Bears is because of the interest that was in the former Seahawks' coordinator this hiring cycle.
Shane Waldron is ‘a phenomenal hire’ for the Bears, @PFF_Brad says pic.twitter.com/DUuAj9uV71
— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) January 22, 2024
Waldron remains on a trajectory for an NFL Head Coaching opportunity in the future and it seems unlikely that he would jeopardize that future by taking a job where Fields would be the starting quarterback. Under that scenario, if Fields fails next season, not only is Waldron out of a job after one season but his stock will fall in a similar way that Luke Getsy's did.
For Williams, Waldron's hire means the USC standout quarterback will likely begin his NFL career with the Bears.