(Audacy) It’s unclear how enticing playing in his hometown of Washington D.C. is for USC quarterback Caleb Williams, but WFAN host and NFL on CBS analyst Boomer Esiason has advice for the youngster: Just go to Chicago.
The Bears own the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, with the Commanders set to pick second. Although no commitment has been made either way, it seems likely Chicago will move on from current quarterback Justin Fields and use the top selection on Williams.
With Williams hailing from Washington D.C, there has been some conjecture that he could pull an Eli Manning and try to force his way to the Commanders.
Even if that's the case, picking Williams is still a no-brainer for Bears general manager Ryan Poles, Esiason said Tuesday on Boomer & Gio on WFAN.
“It’s over," Esiason said. "They’re taking (Williams) right here, and if they don’t take this kid, then Ryan Poles should be fired. You’ve got to restart the quarterback clock, you’ve got all the assets from the trade you made. You’re sitting pretty. You kept your head coach, you’ve got a new offensive coordinator in there. You could say that they should have hired Kliff Kingsbury, but he ended up going to Washington. Caleb Williams is from Washington D.C.”
Both teams have appeal. The Commanders finally have a new ownership group installed, plus Dan Quinn is now the head coach and Kingsbury – who was an offensive analyst at USC last season – is their new offensive coordinator. They’ve got plenty of cap space too, so there's reason to be optimistic about Washington.
But the Bears are loaded with assets, have a true No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore and just added Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator. They also have an impressive defense. In other words, the Bears are more advanced in their rebuild.
“Caleb, don’t go home. Go to Chicago,” Esiason said. “They are loaded and they’re going to be good, and they have all these different assets. You’re going to have a good defense, they’ve added a number of offensive players the last two years. DJ Moore, I know did come out and support Justin Fields, (saying) that there’s nobody in this quarterback class like Justin Fields. Well, wait until you start playing with Caleb Williams. You’ll find somebody that is.
“I hope that Caleb Williams doesn’t screw this up … Don’t do it. Go to Chicago and resurrect that franchise. In my eyes, I know that they have not won a lot, but to me it’s still one of the few legacy franchises in the NFL. There’s something about being a Chicago Bear. On the defensive side of the ball there’s great history, there’s lore there, if you will.
“At the quarterback position, not so much. He can set every single franchise record, and he should. He should want to go there, he should want to play there, and he should want to lead that team.”