Bears Work Out Former Chiefs QB Amid Caleb Williams’ Struggles

Getty Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Chicago Bears are not moving away from struggling rookie quarterback Caleb Williams any time soon, but they are re-evaluating their depth at the position and bringing in a former Kansas City Chiefs backup for a workout.

According to the NFL’s transaction wire for September 24, the Bears hosted former Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun for a roster workout on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Oladokun threw for 3,164 yards and 25 touchdowns during his final collegiate season at South Dakota State in 2021. The Pittsburgh Steelers then selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft, but he did not make their initial active roster cut. Days later, he signed with the Chiefs as their practice-squad quarterback.

Oladokun held down his practice-squad role with the Chiefs for the past two seasons, but he did not play for them outside of the preseason. He did, however, win two Super Bowl championships with the team as a member of their roster in both 2022 and 2023.

Oladokun would be a candidate to join the Bears’ practice squad if they liked what they saw from him in his workout. The Bears have undrafted rookie Austin Reed in place as their No. 3 quarterback on their practice squad, but Oladokun’s workout suggests they are either looking to replace him or sign a fourth quarterback to the mix.

Oladokun is the second quarterback to work out for the Bears since Week 1’s season opener against the Tennessee Titans. Chicago also hosted undrafted rookie quarterback Gavin Hardison for a workout on September 10, but the team did not sign him.

Caleb Williams Showed Improvement in Loss to Colts

Williams — the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft — has noticeably struggled through the first three weeks of his NFL career. He has completed less than 60% of his passes (70 of 118) while attempting the second most in the league. He has also thrown twice as many picks (four) as passing touchdowns (two) and missed throws at distances both short and long.

That said, Williams took a step in the right direction in Week 3’s loss to the Colts.

Williams threw the first two touchdowns of his career in Indianapolis and finished with 363 total passing yards, breaking a franchise record for most passing yards in a game by a rookie quarterback. Granted, the Bears asked him to throw a career-high 52 times in the 21-16 loss, but he also played better as the game went along and put together two of his best drives in the fourth quarter as Chicago attempted to pull off a comeback.

Fans who set unrealistic expectations for Williams’ rookie season are unlikely to revel in his modest improvement, but the Bears should feel encouraged by what they saw from the new face of their franchise in Week 3. Now, if only they could fix their other issues on offense around Williams that are making life much more difficult for him.

Bears’ Offensive Struggles Rooted in More Than QB

Quarterbacks are often the first blamed when something goes wrong with the offense, and there is no denying that Williams has been far from perfect in his first three games. The Bears’ issues on offense run much deeper than the quarterback position, though.

The biggest problem for the Bears offense heading into Week 4 is its inability to run the ball. Chicago is averaging just 72.7 rushing yards per game — the second-worst mark in the league — through the first three weeks, a dire situation that has forced them to rely too often on their rookie quarterback to make magic happen in the passing game.

After all, NFL defenses can take more risks and more aggressively rush the passer when the run game is ineffective against them, and they certainly have with Williams, who is tied with Baker Mayfield as the third-most sacked QB (13) through three weeks.

The offensive line has received the majority of the blame — and rightly so — for bad run-blocking and missed assignments that result in negative plays, but the problems also extend to the offensive playcalling and personnel decisions and the backs themselves.

Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron called a handful of duds in Week 3’s loss, including when he had 5-foot-8, 190-pound DeAndre Carter attempt — and fail — to block 6-foot-3, 267-pound Tyquan Lewis on a 3rd-and-goal run from the 1-yard line. Meanwhile, lead running back D’Andre Swift averaged less than two yards per carry for a second straight game, finishing with just 20 net rushing yards on 13 total carries.

Williams must still progressively get better for the Bears as the season goes on, but the team also needs to look inward and find solutions to the other issues holding him back.