Report: Matt Eberflus on Caleb Williams: “Everyone is rallying around him”

Report: Matt Eberflus on Caleb Williams: 'Everyone is rallying around him' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Given the Bears' decision to favor rookie Caleb Williams over Justin Fields, questions about the locker room's reaction to this franchise-altering move were legitimate.

The locker room, along with the city and fans, were the primary owners of Fields, who remained as the team's quarterback. Everyone in the locker vehemently supported Fields' return. At the end of the season, fans were chanting his name.

But it's a new era. The Bears drafted Williams knowing it would be an adjustment for the team and the locker room. But head coach Matt Eberflus is pleased to report that the locker room quickly adjusted to the newcomer.

And he used a powerful example to compare the Bears' locker room to one of the strongest examples of team cohesion.

“Once [Tony] Romo was injured when he went down in that preseason game in Seattle, and the team simply rallied [Prescott]” said Eberflus to Albert Breer. “And I can already feel that in our building here. Everyone gathers around him. You can feel that in the reps we got in some of the first outings on the field, with the veterans. You can see the offense, they really support us, and the same goes for the defense too. And his personality is infectious. He gets along with everyone; It can be easily integrated into a changing room.

Jaylon Johnson was the most prominent Bears figure to speak about locker room culture as it affected Williams' deployment. He said Williams shouldn't walk in with a “Hollywood” attitude. When Williams arrived, the two cleared things up and have since cleared up the misunderstandings.

According to Ryan Poles, after being drafted, Williams reached out to several of his new teammates, including most of the defensemen. He also contacted every rookie drafted after him to welcome them to the team.

Outside the locker room, the Bears were also able to train him for his next position before the NFL Draft, Albert Breer reported Monday.

MORE: How the Bears started signing Caleb Williams before the draft: report

“It also gave the Bears an opportunity to subtly integrate Williams,” Breer wrote of the Bears’ early comfort with Williams. “That's why the team used the three one-hour Zooms it was allowed to do with the quarterback before the draft to prepare him for the offense, rather than using them as a tool to evaluate him like they would with other prospects.” .

“During the first part, the Bears taught Williams the terminology and gave him a foundation on how to call formations and movements within new OC Shane Waldron's scheme. During the second part, they began installing their basic, normal-down plays. During the third part they ran red zone and third down plays.”

And in the process, as the Bears threw their playbook at Williams before even calling his name in the draft, the Bears became even more impressed with their next quarterback.

“Just as far as he’s concerned, it was outstanding,” Eberflus told Breer. “I’m talking about a worker – this guy is a worker. He wants to learn, he wants to know everything about the offense, he's a really good learner, asks great questions, has been great in the quarterback room. I was there with these guys almost every time and it was great to see the relationship between him and Tyson grow [Bagent]And [QB coach] Kerry [Joseph] and Shane, the guys that are in there. And there aren’t a lot of people in there because we keep it tight, and that’s wonderful.”

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