Bear Digest

Shaping Bears Infrastructure Improvement for Caleb Williams

There is no denying a third receiver would help Caleb Williams but improving their infrastructure for the new QB can take many shapes.

Gene Chamberlain

Jackson Powers-Johnson would give the Bears a missing piece of infrastructure as a powerful, young force inside, but would the Bears go there in the first round?
Jackson Powers-Johnson would give the Bears a missing piece of infrastructure as a powerful, young force inside, but would the Bears go there in the first round? / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
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It would be easy to see an offensive lineman coming off as the second Bears draft pick in Round 1 before they select any other position.

This doesn't mean they would draft a lineman ninth, but he would probably be more likely in a trade-back scenario.

This is going to disappoint the fantasy people, because it means one less big name target for Caleb Williams. Linemen tend to disgust people who are only casual football fans or are fantasy football owners as they lack the glamour of a quarterback, receiver or running back.

It’s going to traumatize those who believe edge rusher is the position the Bears are lacking if they want to maximize Montez Sweat’s abilities.

It might cause seizures for those who see a 3-technique defensive tackle as a giant hole in the Bears lineup after Justin Jones departed for Arizona.

However, the term offensive line is a broad brush to paint with and that could mean any number of positions.

Here’s why this possibility can’t be ruled out and what other ways of improving the infrastructure of the Bears exist to benefit their new quarterback.

1. Opportunity

If the first eight picks fall the wrong way and all the top three wide receivers are gone, and Dallas Turner has been drafted by Atlanta, they’ll have every offensive lineman left in the draft and the second-best edge rusher.

The group of blockers looks far better than the next-best edge rusher. Mel Kiper Jr. put out an updated big board last week and on it he placed three offensive linemen before the second-best edge rusher. They were Joe Alt, Troy Fautanu and JC Latham. Pro Football Focus has Alt, Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga, all rated ahead of the best edge rusher, Turner.

2. Tradeback

If you’re moving back in a deal because the wide receivers are gone in Round 1, the pick of offensive linemen should be as strong as the edge rusher group.

PFF has five offensive linemen graded higher than the third-best edge rusher. So does Kiper.

3. The Surprise Fallback

It should be no surprise at all, but the position really hasn’t been talked about much after free agency and should. The Bears obviously needed a center more than any other offensive line position when free agency began.

What changed? They traded for Ryan Bates and signed Shelton Coleman? Really?

Neither is what you’d call a dominant, strong center type. Bates has barely played 200 snaps at center in the NFL. He’s a guard who can switch to center if asked. Coleman was graded middle of the pack for centers last year and really is a center, but until 2022 had never been a starting center and last year was the first he played more than 462 snaps at center in a season. He played 1,113 snaps of his 1,771 in the NFL at center last year.

So it would appear Shelton is a support starter, someone brought in to start while someone else learns to take the position.

Who would it be?

Former Bears guard/tackle Kyle Long would tell you who.

Jackson Powers-Johnson of Oregon is a player Long advocated for in an appearance on CHGO, and one who is rated 19th among all players by PFF. Moving back to the 19th range would not be out of the question for the Bears if they abandon No. 9 for picks.

“If you do obtain the guy you’re getting yourself a stud,” Long told CHGO. “You’re getting your somebody who can swab out that A-gap in the run game, who’s a real communicator in the pass game, a leader in that offensive line room.

“Obviously the strength training is a priority for him. He looks fabulous. He’s never outclassed as it pertains to strength at the line of scrimmage. And I think his personality fits Chicago as well.”

Long finished his career briefly with the Chiefs after the Bears decided to part ways with him and he says he then saw the light about a center’s impact.

“Now, nine’s too high but I will say this: If you can find a way to get a JPJ on your team you’re going to be better for it,” he said. “In Kansas City I was there when they brought in Creed Humphrey. Creed Humphrey has changed that offense in more ways than you could ever imagine.”

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE BEARS ONCE CALEB WILLIAMS COMES OFF THE BOARD

The Infrastructure

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported part of the reason they were confident they could draft Williams without fear he’d try to force them to trade the first pick to another team was because they got out ahead of any issues by finding out what was needed to make him happy.

Infrastructure isn’t just a term to use when discussing what the Bears need for a new stadium.

“The Williams camp sent the message early about what it wanted—investment and infrastructure to help Caleb reach his next goal of chasing Tom Brady and winning Super Bowls—and the Bears have delivered,” Pelissero wrote.

Infrastructure so far has been wide receiver Keenan Allen, tight end Gerald Everett and running back D’Andre Swift, who is a better receiver than the other backs the Bears have. The only offensive line altered was bringing in Coleman, who may or may not be a long-term solution.

Someone on the line at another position—either center, guard or tackle—would continue their improvement of infrastructure.  

Ryan Poles

The Bears GM always has his eye out for an offensive lineman, as a former lineman himself.

It can be debated how successful he has been. He did get Darnell Wright last year and this looks like a good move after a year. He definitely found a diamond-in-the-rough in Braxton Jones as a fifth-rounder at starting left tackle.

However, he drafted players like Ja’Tyre Carter, Doug Kramer and Zachary Thomas, too. Those were later draft picks so less was expected than with Wright.

Need

The Bears have been a decent third-down team with Justin Fields at quarterback because he posed a threat as a runner. Teams had to respect this threat and yield in short yardage to prevent big runs.

With Fields gone, Williams is a decent runner but not one who is going to present big-play opportunities on third-and-short.  His danger would be posed more on scrambles.

The Bears just haven’t had the kind of play at center to dig down and uproot defensive linemen who are hunkered down in short-yardage situations. Powers-Johnson would give them this. He did 30 reps at 225 pounds on the bench at his pro day and power has long been regarded as his game.

Obviously, if you have a center who can make short yardage work well, he’s helping on quarterback sneaks and short runs.

Tackles and guards do, too, but the Bears had sufficient tackle and guard blocking in short-yardage runs to succeed. They weren’t getting it center.

To be sure, they have other needs. The edge rusher need looks even greater. The 2025 need might be wide receiver because of Keenan Allen's contract expiring, but it never hurts to get ready now with a younger player who would be ready next year.

However, infrastructure like pass blocking is never very far down anyone's need list.

Brock Bowers

He's a receiver, he's a blocker. The Georgia tight end isn't going to improve the overall speed of the receiver corps, which should be a Bears goal.

Nor is he going to improve their pass blocking, although he could be called on at times to do this.

He can be a run blocker and has done this well at Georgia.

What Bowers would bring would be a gadget for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to mess with, someone as a big-play type from the middle of the field while defenses worry about DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

A 4.53 40 is quick for a tight end. Bowers would give them this added dimension that Cole Kmet lacks as the in-line or "Y" tight end. They do already have this to a degree with Gerald Everett, but the Bears could line up Bowers in the backfield, as well, or slot receiver.

Burner

If they get a real burner for Williams at receiver, it can open up the field for everyone else. Moore is their closest thing at 4.42 in the 40 when he was younger. Allen is slower but a masterful route runner. Neither tight end is exceptionally fast. The really fast receiver they have is Velus Jones Jr. and he hasn't been able to figure out a way to get on the field yet.

If the Bears added a 4.21-second 40 receiver like Xavier Worthy of Texas, or 4.33-second 40 guy like LSU's Brian Thomas Jr., or even his LSU teammate Malik Nabers at 4.35 (pro day), it's likely to scare defenses and provide a missing piece of the infrastructure.

Miami's Tyler Harrell is another receiver who hasn't received much notoriety because he's not the greatst pass catcher, but he ran 4.25 seconds in a pro day. Even if it's off a tick or two because it is a pro day, it's the second-fastest time recorded and it will throw a scare in any defense. He's not a slight player who would be an injury risk, at 6-1, 193. This would obviously be a much later pick, if a draft pick at all.

The problem is, he caught only 26 passes for Louisville, Alabama and Miami. At some point, you do need to catch some passes besides run. The one season he did play extensively, at Louisville in 2021, he averaged a ridiculous 29.1 yards per 18 receptions.

FANNATION PUBLISHERS ONE-ROUND MOCK DRAFT WITHOUT TRADES

EXPLAINING THE NO. 9 PICK FOR THE BEARS IN FANNATION'S MOCK DRAFT

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.