Report: Bears discussed 1 other major change before firing OC

Sep 28, 2017; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Chicago Bears helmet on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears made a significant change ahead of Week 11 when they fired their offensive coordinator, and they reportedly had some tough conversations about rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as well.

During Thursday morning’s edition of “Get Up” on ESPN, Adam Schefter revealed that Chicago’s brass had discussions about benching Williams prior to Shane Waldron being fired. Schefter said the move would have been made in an attempt to give Williams a break, not as a punishment for poor play.

Either way, the Bears decided not to make that change — at least not yet.

“There were conversations,” Schefter said. “I don’t know how close they got, but yes, there were conversations about whether one of the solutions was to bench the quarterback. But to bench him to give him a break to try to save him…”

.@danorlovsky7 didn't hold back discussing the “utter disaster” of the Chicago Bears and their treatment of Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/bvszSjP2Nq

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 14, 2024

It is unclear when those supposed conversations took place. After Sunday’s embarrassing home loss to the New England Patriots, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said the team was evaluating everything but would not make a quarterback change.

Williams has hit a wall over the last three weeks. The Bears have gone 23 consecutive possessions without scoring a touchdown, and Williams has not thrown a touchdown pass since Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not surprisingly, that was the last time Chicago won a game.

One report this week claimed there might be a difference of opinion within Chicago’s locker room about whether Williams should continue to start. If the former USC star struggles over the next few games, the pressure will likely mount even more.