Cubs News: Waldron says veterans are helping Williams develop to be ready for season |
CHICAGO — Organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp provided a first glimpse at offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s offensive scheme. Waldron has a lot of talent to work with in Chicago’s offense, including a talented rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams, elite receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, and many other players.
From what Waldron has seen thus far, all of these players are starting to build their chemistry. “We feel like we have good pieces around our offensive structure right now, and guys are bought in, the personalities are gelling, the people are great, and so with that, the results will come,” Waldron said. “So, we’ll stick with the process. We’ll stick with our daily improvement and that daily grind and then let the results happen.” One of the most important bonds on an NFL team is between an offensive coordinator and the starting quarterback. For Waldron and Williams who are both new to the Bears, they have continued to work on that since the draft and during OTAs and minicamp. “For him and I, his ability to listen and want to learn every single day. He brings it. He walks in that quarterback meeting room and he’s ready for what’s the information of the day, texting me all sorts of different times,” Waldron said. “All those things go together and then having a chance to talk about things outside of football because … he’s demonstrated his ability on the football field but now, getting a chance to really know the person outside of football, things that he enjoys and same thing for me and what my family’s about and those things I think are all areas that help us to grow closer and then when the season starts, when there are different ups and downs during the season, I think the closer you are with people, the more willing you are to listen and overcome hard times during the season. So, we’re just building up that armor, developing that relationship and getting ready to go for this 2024 season.” For a rookie quarterback, there are countless things to learn from the cadence to the playbook to the chemistry with his teammates. Waldron saw numerous improvements from Williams during OTAs and minicamp and will be looking for him to continue to grow going into training camp which starts on Tues. July 23. “I think for him it’s about continuing to own the system, the operation with so many different things. You’re new to a system and whether it’s the new coaches, new rookies, new free agents that have come in the door, the players that have been here in the past, there’s a lot of similarities in so many different offensive systems,” Waldron said. “So, the ownership of what every word means with the goal being when we come to training camp and I say a certain term that clicks in right now and Caleb’s brain knows exactly what we’re talking about. We’re on the same page because the further goal is game day when everything’s happening and it might be just a simple reminder in the headset, it might be something at halftime. Those things all happen so quickly.” Part of what will help Williams adjust to the NFL is the veteran experience he is surrounded by all over the offense, including the quarterback room. Tyson Bagent is coming off his rookie season in the league while has four seasons under his belt. Both have taken on the responsibility of helping Williams progress so he is prepared for the season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sun. Sept. 8 (Noon / FOX). “With Tyson (Bagent) and Brett (Rypien), those guys have been unbelievable. They’re they have that task that different quarterbacks that are in different rooms of working on their own game, but then also knowing it’s their job to help and push the starter there and they’ve been unbelievable with that helping them along the way and I think we have a different group of veterans at almost every position that have really embraced all the young players that have come aboard because they know that we’re all in this thing together,” Waldron said. “We’re all working to build to our first game there and so for them, whether it’s been (wide receivers) Keenan (Allen) or DJ (Moore), (tight ends) Cole (Kmet), Gerald (Everett), (offensive lineman) Darnell (Wright), all these guys have really embraced that thought of, ‘Let’s lift the rookies up. Let’s set them up for success down the road because that’s going to, in turn, help all of us.’”
