There has been rampant speculation for much of the past week that the Washington Commanders are going to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to trade Caleb Williams. The issue with that logic is that the Commanders do not hold any leverage in a potential trade with the Chicago Bears.
For all the hope trafficking that Commanders’ fans have done, there is not a scenario that exists where the team can force the Bears to hand over the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams is not going to refuse to play for the Bears and therefore, there is very little motivation that Chicago would have to make a deal with the Commanders considering the lack of value in terms of moving down one spot.
that end, if the Bears complete their evaluations and the determination is that Williams is not only the best quarterback in the draft but the best option for their team, the debate is over. As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune pointed out in a recent mailbag, the Bears will take Williams if he checks all the boxes.
“When the Bears complete the evaluation process and set their board, if Williams is the top quarterback, I don’t see how they consider a trade with the Commanders. How could a team that has been seeking a franchise quarterback for decades pass on the chance to draft its top-rated quarterback? They have the top pick, there is no way of telling where they will be drafting next year — or what next year’s quarterback class will look like — and it’s counterintuitive to think there is a better route.”
– Chicago Tribune
In the end, all of the baseless conspiracy theories are going to prove to be wasted thought exercises. At the end of the day, Justin Fields has not shown enough consistently throughout his first three seasons to prove that he is capable of being the answer at the quarterback position. That lack of consistency from Fields is a large part of the reason why the question at the quarterback position remains. With that question existing, the Bears aren’t going to forgo the opportunity to improve at the position if Williams’ evaluations match expectations.
