Williams: Bears firing Eberflus, Waldron 'stepping stone' for development
Caleb Williams is trying to see the Bears' recent coaching changes as positive parts of his development as Chicago's franchise quarterback.
"I think this is a stepping stone of development, to be able to have all of this in my first year," Williams told reporters Wednesday, including ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "Having these situational moments that it's hard to rep in practice, having some of these moments, having your coach fired or coaches fired, and people being promoted.
"You know, things like that all happening within a couple weeks of each other, you know I think it would help me in the long run being able to handle all of this, handle this first year, and being able to grow from it."
Chicago fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Nov. 12 after the team lost 19-3 to the New England Patriots. Williams had been sacked nine times in the game, and the team hadn't scored a touchdown in two straight contests.
The Bears then fired head coach Matt Eberflus three weeks later after the team lost its sixth straight game. The nail in the coffin came after Eberflus didn't take Chicago's final timeout against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving when his team was down three points with under 30 seconds to go. Williams was unable to connect on a deep pass as the clock expired.
It's the first time the Bears fired a head coach midseason in franchise history. Thomas Brown was named the interim head coach after he had just been promoted to offensive coordinator after Waldon's dismissal. He started the season as the team's passing game coordinator.
"I don't get any say or choice over that. I have to roll with the punches," Williams said. "(Eberflus is) a reason of why I'm here. He drafted me. And so going through that and that process is interesting for me."
It was the first time the rookie quarterback spoke publicly about Eberflus' firing. Williams added that he wouldn't say he was "happy" about the changes but that they didn't hurt his future career.
"Down the line, I'll have different OCs or different head coaches or whatever the case may be," the rookie said. "Being able to handle it my first year, handle a new playbook, handle all these different changes, handle all of this I think it definitely will help the development instead of hurting it."
Williams has thrown for 2,612 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his rookie campaign. However, he's taken the most sacks in the league (49) and has one of the lowest completion percentages among starting quarterbacks (61.6%).
Williams will look to turn around the 4-8 Bears when they play the 5-7 San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.