The Caleb Williams-Shane Waldron dynamic has been fascinating to follow this season, eh?
It hasn’t always been pretty, but from where I stand the Bears offense has slowly developed into a modern-ish pro scheme befitting a No. 1 overall draft pick. And Shane Waldron appears to be more adaptable as an offensive coordinator than we may have initially feared. At least, that’s what hit me while watching this latest installment of Mic’d Up featuring Caleb Williams.
I’ve been thinking about this clip all day.
— Funky Cold Luda (Taylor’s Version) (@lcm1986) October 10, 2024
And soon, I’ll explain why at @BN_Bears. pic.twitter.com/vfsh9i8ePM
Consider the events of that clip: (1) Caleb Williams suggests a play call. (2) Shane Waldron acknowledges the merit of the idea. (3) The Bears run it and come just two yards short of a touchdown.
Yes, good players will find a way to make an offense work, and there’s no excuse to flat-out ignore your QB altogether (even if he’s a rookie). But this is the Chicago Bears we’re talking about. So watching an offensive coordinator actually listen to (and act on) the input of his rookie QB feels unlike any dynamic we’ve seen from the team in recent memory.
Then again, this was already the second such example of Shane Waldron acting on the input of his players in the last few weeks.
Shane Waldron’s offense is evolving
Do you remember when this went viral on October 1?
For those unfamiliar with the reference, that’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s routes from last year (while in Shane Waldron’s offense in Seattle) versus this year (still with the Seahawks, but no longer in Waldron’s scheme). And we were primed to react to it so viscerally because of an answer Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave CHGO when they asked about Waldron during Super Bowl week last February.
Not exactly the most glowing review from JSN.
Of course, that route tree from October 1 wasn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, either.
And the whole point is how things have improved:
From where I stand, the first five games of Waldron’s tenure in Chicago help illustrate why DVOA ranked his Seattle offenses 13th (2022) and 12th (2023) before coming to the Bears. There are some quality and worthwhile elements, but the limitations are evident, as well. Though for what it’s worth, I do remember Patrick Flowers pointing out that Seattle’s passing offenses ranked among the top 10 by DVOA’s standards in each of those seasons. Maybe something to dream on as the season continues.
Sure, there are still areas of concern (the slow starts to each game bug me). And I could say the same about some of the screen calls. But incremental improvement is better than no improvement at all, especially as Waldron appears open to feedback.
Bottom line: The Bears offense was fun last week.
Sure, going up against a woeful and banged-up Carolina Panthers defense helps (and it certainly hasn’t always been all sunshine and rainbows this season). But we’re starting to see improvements. And that starts with Shane Waldron and Caleb Williams. Now let’s see if they can stack positive performances going into the bye.
Michael Cerami contributed to this post.