LAS VEGAS, NV. — Albert Breer is as plugged into the NFL as anybody.
With all the different information floating around on Caleb Williams and potentially what the league and the Bears think about the former USC Trojan, it’s important to touch base with guys like Breer.
The Senior NFL Reporter/Lead Content Strategist at the MMQB sat down with CHGO on Media Row to discuss Williams, Justin Fields and plenty more.
What’s fact and faction on Caleb Williams?
There is a lot being said about Williams right now. Whether it’s about how he gets along with his teammates to wanting equity in an NFL team, a lot has been floating around the 22-year-old quarterback.
From what Breer has gathered, Williams is “really a good kid. His dad can be a lot.”
One of the big questions surrounding Williams is if he would consider not playing for Chicago and prefer to play for his home state in Washington.
Breer brought up the Eli Manning situation and how Archie Manning “took the bullets” for him to get out of playing with the San Diego Chargers and later being traded to the New York Giants. So Breer said it “wasn’t impossible” for Williams to pull off something similar.
He also shedded some light on what is actually fact and fiction on Williams, specifically on the idea of wanting to be a part of ownership of an NFL team.
“What I know is his dad (Carl) was behind a lot of the stuff that was out there,” Breer said. “And a lot of this is going to come down to what the kid wants, which makes it unpredictable because some of that noise that you’re hearing out there wasn’t really him.”
CHGO’s Adam Hoge also wrote an in-depth article on Williams and spoke to several sources to get a better understanding on the talented quarterback.
How is Justin Fields viewed in the NFL?
Fields was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after the Bears moved up to select him. After his first three seasons with the Bears, there are still a lot of questions about what Fields and what he is capable of being.
“I think he is viewed as a quarterback who you … A+ person, really good leader, really good worker, really smart,” Breer said. “Like he checks so many boxes. There’s still that thing where does he see it fast enough. Does he need to see the receiver come open to throw him the ball? Does he throw with anticipation? Those are still the things three years later that you’re looking at with him.”
Breer also mentioned that an NFL team would have to build an offense “a certain way around him.” Ideally, that would be one that taps into Fields’ athletic ability whether that is with the play action passes or as being an addition to the run game.
That type of model as worked before, according to Breer. He brought up the Eagles and Jalen Hurts. During Nick Sirriani’s first year as a head coach, Sirriani gave up the play calling and handed it over to Shane Steichen. The Eagles then put in the Oklahoma run game and that “made Jalen feel more comfortable” and allowed the Eagles pass game to build off the run.
So, it can be done, but there also needs to be a team willing to commit to that type of shift offensively.
Another big question surrounding Fields is what is his trade value if the Bears do decide to move on from him? He has shown flashes but at the same time inconsistences through his first three years in the league.
Breer mentioned “maybe a Day 2 pick and then a Day 3 pick on top of it.” He also said that he thinks it would be a team “in the middle of the first round,” one that doesn’t like the second cluster of quarterbacks after Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels but are also not close enough to go get one of those guys.
Memorable Quote
“A lot of NFL people that I really respect think Caleb is a once in every few years type of prospect. That Trevor Lawrence, John Elway, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, that tier is how Caleb is seen.”
Make sure to watch the full episode below to hear more from Breer and the other guests that appeared on Monday’s CHGO Bears show.
