Proof A Head Coach Change Would Help Caleb Williams Isn't Far Away

The Chicago Bears have been here before. They've just drafted a 1st round quarterback. He is struggling to find a consistent footing as a starter. Blame gets placed on the head coach for not having a better plan for his development. Inevitably, this leads to a change in hopes of finding someone who will. It happened with Mitch Trubisky. It happened with Justin Fields. Now, there are widespread fears that it will happen again. Caleb Williams will have to endure a coaching change in his second year, stunting his development further. That is almost guaranteed to ruin him just like it did Trubisky and Fields, right?

No. It is never that cut and dry.

The truth is that such a move, while risky, has proven to work on a number of occasions in the past. In fact, there is one shining example up north in Detroit. Jared Goff went #1 overall in 2016. The Rams were coached by Jeff Fisher that season. After sitting half the year, Goff was put into the lineup and immediately struggled. He completed only 54% of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Many wondered if he was a lost cause. Los Angeles opted to fire Fisher and hired Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay as a replacement.

Goff rebounded for 3,804 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to make his first Pro Bowl.

The change itself won't be the issue for Caleb Williams.

It will be about who the Bears decide to replace Matt Eberflus with. Good head coaches understand how to get the most out of their players. Baker Mayfield had three different ones in his first two seasons with Cleveland. That should've killed his development. However, the Browns finally landed Kevin Stefanski that third year. Mayfield threw 26 touchdowns, only eight interceptions, and Cleveland made the playoffs. Alex Smith languished for six seasons between Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary in San Francisco. Everyone called him a bust. Then Jim Harbaugh arrived and the former #1 pick led the 49ers to the NFC championship.

It isn't the change that ruins the quarterbacks. It is who the team makes the change to.

People don't acknowledge that enough. Trubisky went from John Fox to Matt Nagy. Fields went from Nagy to Matt Eberflus. Can you say the Bears upgraded at head coach in either of those situations? Probably not. Meanwhile, Rex Grossman went from Dick Jauron to Lovie Smith and eventually helped the franchise to a Super Bowl. Coaching matters. Goff was fortunate in that regard. Chicago shouldn't be worried about a lack of continuity with Caleb Williams. It should be whether they can find a good coach.