Bear Digest

Shane Waldron's Plan for Using All the New Bears Targets

Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has been in a situation with multiple passing targets available like in Chicago and has an idea how and why to use them.

Gene Chamberlain

Balancing out all the weapons Caleb Williams has available could be an issue for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Balancing out all the weapons Caleb Williams has available could be an issue for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. / Gene Chamberlain Photo / BearDigest
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When the Bears went from one wide receiver threat to three and one tight end to two, the question after the euphoria wore off was an obvious one.

How do they keep everyone satisfied with only one football on the field per play?

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has three years of experience at his job and already has been in a similar situation in terms of targets, so he has a pretty good idea how all of this can work.

In the NFL, it's all about the matchups and the Bears have enough players now to create problems this way for opposing defenses with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett.

"I think for us on offense, we want to be able to be multiple on offense and so with the addition of the wide receivers, having three receivers, two great established vets, we've got other young guys that are up and coming on the roster as well," Waldron said, being mindful not to forget players like Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. "It just allows us to continue to be multiple, allows us to, on a week-by-week basis, see what might be a matchup advantage or something that we can look to lean heavier towards.

"And with Cole and Gerald and the other tight ends and KB at fullback (Khari Blasingame), we got a lot of different pieces that we can utilize."

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It was also interesting he pointed out Blasingame because in Seattle he didn't have a fullback position on the roster. They had Cullan Gillaspia for six games in 2022, a 6-foot-2, 235-pounder. He was a college linebacker and fullback but he never played a snap of offense in Seattle, has played almost all special teams in the NFL and was listed as a running back and not fullback on the Seahawks roster when he was active.  He was gone before last season.

With Seattle, Waldron had to find a balance between getting the ball to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith Njigba—as well as three tight ends—while also blending the running game. With the Bears, he's going to need to balance the receiver weapons with a running game that was first and second the last two years.

Waldron called the spring a time of learning not just for players as they take in his offensive system, but also for himself as he looks at the hand he's dealt. Obviously things can change by the start of training camp.

"For us right now, this is the time of year where we're trying to figure out how is everyone going to carve out their individual role for this 2024 offense and the more good players you can surround yourself with, the better you're going to be as a coach obviously," Waldron said. "So it's been a tremendous offseason of being able to do that and add different pieces and then the guys that are returning, they're continuing to learn and grow and become better players as well.

"So it will be fun to have all these different players and figuring out what their roles will be for the season."

The Bears are trying to weigh where QB Caleb Williams is at on a daily basis in his offensive understanding, but it's also a situation where the full team is learning.

"That's going to be the whole process," coach Matt Eberflus said. "What are guys good at? What can they handle? That's the process for everybody on the roster–the tryout guys, everybody. We're going to figure out what they can do, what they are good at.

"Then, we'll enhance those things, and if they need to improve on something we’re going to work and have a plan to get those done too."

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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.