How Joe Burrow's development can be a playbook for the Chicago Bears Caleb Williams' next steps

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - On November 28, 2019, Joe Burrow – in the middle of a Heisman Trophy season that was arguably the best season in college football history at LSU – played host.

The Tigers were courting a quarterback from Maryland, and Burrow was part of the pitch.

That quarterback chose Oklahoma, but that visit began a relationship between Burrow and Caleb Williams that continues in 2024.

That relationship offers a playbook into how the Chicago Bears could take the next steps with Williams. After all, how many quarterbacks are drafted No. 1 overall and have a Heisman Trophy on their resume?

Williams and Burrow do.

It's why Burrow's development into an elite NFL quarterback could be somewhat of a playbook into how the Bears proceed with Williams' next steps, something Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was asked about on Thursday after the Bears-Bengals joint practice.

"He’s going against a different structure here, so I think much of the same and improving," Eberflus said Thursday. "Doing the basics quarterbacking, I think he did that last week at a solid rate." 

Williams has been improving throughout camp, and that was evident on Thursday. He threw multiple touchdown passes in red zone scenarios, and shook off his only blemish. That was an interception on his first throw in the 7-on-7 period.

After that interception, Williams settled in even as the rain came down in sheets.

Burrow talked about that presence of mind.

"He played in L.A., so he's used to that big market and that goes a long way," Burrow said. "You can stay grounded like he can and he's going to have a very good career."

Staying grounded is something Burrow is known for.

Burrow was drafted first overall in the 2020 draft. His last season at LSU saw him go 15-0 with a team that included Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and 21 total draft picks between the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts. He's kept an even keel as he entered the NFL.

Although Burrow's first season in Cincinnati included a major knee injury in Week 11 of the 2020 season, he rebounded with a 2021 season that led the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI.

The biggest jump from his rookie year to his sophomore season included lessons Burrow learned from just being in the NFL. These lessons include moments Williams has already experienced from his ups and downs from playing at Oklahoma and USC.

Once Williams has been through the rollercoaster of an NFL season, however, Burrow said the key is knowing how to stay level through everything.

"I think that's what separates people, when you can maintain a levelheaded, even keel, aura, personality, whatever you want to call it.," Burrow said. "There's going to be ups and downs. That's the NFL. So can you come back the next day and go about your process the same way that you did the week before, whether you won or whether you lost or whether you threw four picks or you had five touchdowns. You got to attack every day with the mindset that you're going to get better."

The next key experience Williams will have come this Saturday against the Bengals after Eberflus said the Bears' starters would play. But, the most important experiences sometimes come with a baptism by fire.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor recalls one such moment from Burrow's rookie year against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts threw a blitz at Burrow on third and five with 39 seconds left in the game, which led to Burrow getting intercepted by Julian Blackmon.

The architect behind that blitz was Eberflus himself when he was the Colts' defensive coordinator.

"Joe stored that one away," Taylor said. "It was a kind of a four-deep, one-under, if I remember correctly, and, first time we'd seen that in his career, so he stored that away and said, right, if I ever get that again, I know what I'm going to get. So. there's just moments like that, that are going to happen, that you store away and you learn from."

That kind of information storage is only one part of crafting an elite quarterback, however.

Taylor noted that it takes a village to craft an elite quarterback and even more personnel to sustain him. Taylor had high praise for first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as the teacher Williams needs to start his career.

"I know Shane Waldron's a great teacher," Taylor said. "He's got great experience around a lot of great quarterbacks and he'll do a great job putting him in his position."

It goes beyond a teacher, too. There needs to be a structure in place across an entire team from the coaching staff down to the roster.

The Bengals followed this blueprint in 2021 by getting Burrow Chase, Tee Higgins and more weapons to throw to while also building an experienced defense around edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, safety Jessie Bates and cornerback Logan Wilson.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles, however, is ahead of the game in this sense. He added Keenan Allen, Montez Sweat, Rome Odunze and Kevin Byard in the past 10 months, along with bringing Waldron and defensive coordinator Eric Washington onto the coaching staff.

Taylor took note of the Bears' structure with massive praise.

"You got to have the coaching staff at the table to develop," Taylor said. "I think this is one of the best coaching staffs in the league. They've done a really good job with who they've hired. They've got a really good defense. They've got a ton of talent on offense."

Every quarterback is different, though. What worked for Burrow might not work the same for Williams, especially since Williams is a dual-threat quarterback as opposed to Burrow being a pro-style quarterback.

Getting Williams acclimated to the pro-style offenses is where Eberflus wants to improve technically.

"There were a couple things with footwork under center and those types of things where he’s got to improve," Eberflus said. "He’s worked on those this week but really much of the same. Leveling up as we go throughout these weeks."

However, if there's anything the Bears can glean from Burrow's process, it's that the classroom only goes so far.

Putting those technical lessons to the test this preseason against different looks is where Burrow made his biggest strides. Burrow said that's where Williams, with all his physical traits in hand, can best set himself up for success lomg-term.

"Bank those reps," Burrow said, "as long as you can keep them in your back pocket."

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