What new OC Shane Waldron means for the Bears’ quarterback situation

The Chicago Bears hired Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator on Monday, a role he’s served for the Seattle Seahawks since 2021.

Waldron takes over a Bears offense that underwhelmed in two seasons under Luke Gesty, who was let go following the 2023 season partly because of Justin Fields’ slower-than-preferred development.

As a result, the first question of the Waldron era is whether the Bears will charge him with getting Fields to that next level, or if he’ll be entrusted with a quarterback the team selects with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (aka, Caleb Williams).

Shane Waldron’s success with Geno Smith is good news for Justin Fields

Waldron’s success with Geno Smith should excite the Team Fields contingent of the fan base. Smith, a former second-round pick of the New York Jets, started 30 games in New York before bouncing between Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants for two seasons. He signed with the Seahawks in 2020 and emerged as the starter in 2022, Waldron’s second year in Seattle, and earned a Pro Bowl bid.

Smith threw 36 interceptions in four years with the Jets. He’s thrown just 21 in four years with the Seahawks. He completed 57.9% of his passes in New York, a number that’s improved to 67.5% in Seattle. Smith has 55 touchdowns as a Sehawk compared to 28 with the Jets (he’s had five more starts in Seattle).

The numbers speak for themselves: Smith’s improvement during his time in Shane Waldron’s system proves Waldron is an offensive coordinator who puts his quarterback in a position to succeed.

Accordingly, Chicago Bears fans are having visions of Justin Fields’ upside in Waldron’s offense. If Geno Smith can become a Pro Bowler in Waldron’s system, what is Fields capable of? NFL MVP?

I know, that’s a bit much. But the point remains: Fields is an athletic marvel whose quarterbacking skill set is at least on par with Smith’s. Now that Waldron is in town, trading the first pick for a bounty of future assets could be what’s best for the Bears.

Orrrrr…

How good can Caleb Williams be with Shane Waldron?

Imagine a world where Shane Waldron worked directly with Caleb Williams from Day 1 of Williams’ NFL career. It could be magical, right?

Williams is viewed as a near-generational prospect and appears to have taken the lead in the Chicago Bears QB derby. At least, he has in some of the latest 2024 NFL Mock Drafts.

And here’s an interesting plot twist: Williams is doing his NFL draft training with QB Collective, where Waldron serves as one of the coaches.

Caleb Williams is working with @QBCollective for training. New Bears OC Shane Waldron is a QB Collective guy. You do the math here.

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 22, 2024

Maybe I’m reading too much into that connection, but at a bare minimum, Waldron will have access to in-depth Williams intel. And that’s valuable … really, really valuable.

Waldron has experience with young quarterbacks from his time under Sean McVay with the Rams. He was Los Angeles’ passing game coordinator during Jared Goff’s third season, which ended up being Goff’s career year (4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns.)

Here’s the point: Shane Waldron’s presence on the Bears’ coaching staff is a huge step forward for an offense stuck in neutral since the Matt Nagy era. He has a proven track record of success that Chicago will welcome with open arms. He flipped a journeyman quarterback into a Pro Bowler. He found ways to incorporate several quality receivers into a Seahawks game plan for a team that’s been a playoff contender in the NFC. And he’s studied under some of the best coaches in the game.

No matter who’s playing quarterback for the Chicago Bears, Shane Waldron will get the most out of them. I have a hunch he’ll start with a clean slate and Caleb Williams, but his history with Geno Smith is a big checkmark in Justin Fields’ favor.

What do you think, Bears fans? How does Shane Waldron impact Chicago’s QB decision? Create your free user account (by clicking the show comments button/bubble) and share your opinion! And if you’d like an ad-free experience on Bears Talk, consider upgrading to a premium account. It’s just $3.49 per month (or better yet, $29.99 per year.) You’ll unlock our exclusive NFL Draft content, too. Bear Down!