Former Rams assistant has huge opportunity to develop star QB, get HC offers

[ROD-BOT]

Former Rams assistant has huge opportunity to develop star QB, get HC offers

Shane Waldron has number one Caleb Williams and a lot of weapons on the Bears

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Former Rams assistant has huge opportunity to develop star QB, get HC offers​

Former L.A. Rams assistant coach Shane Waldron has a huge opportunity this season to take the Chicago Bears offense to great heights, and in doing so Waldron could become one of the hottest potential head coaching candidates in the years to come. Waldron has spent plenty of time in the NFL including several seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, and is now the current offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

This will be Waldron’s first year with the Bears and a big part of his hiring was his potential ability to work with either Justin Fields or Caleb Williams. The Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, setting up Williams to become the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bears. Waldron is now tasked with helping the hopeful franchise quarterback become just that: their quarterback of the future.


View: https://x.com/southsideluk/status/1771007621014659454?s=61&t=lgp1gRmUcyNSF5v7CIHwMg


Fortunately for both Williams and Waldron they have plenty of tools to make this work. The Bears have two star receivers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, and they boast a potential third star with recent first round acquisition Rome Odunze. On paper this team might have the best wide receiving corps in the NFL.

Williams should be able to have time to throw the ball too as Sharp Football Analysis had the Bears’ offensive line ranked in the top half at 12. PFF had the Bears ranked at 11th. If Waldon can scheme up some creative plays and coach up the line then this offense really is on track to be a top unit in the NFL.


View: https://x.com/chicago_nfl/status/1804979969870950894?s=61&t=lgp1gRmUcyNSF5v7CIHwMg


It’s expected that Williams will go through some growing pains. Every rookie does, but after seeing what CJ Stroud did last year the bar is set fairly high. Waldron needs to maximize this offense, and if he does then he may find himself in a head coaching role as soon as next year. Waldron could also take his time and continue to build with the Bears, maybe win a Championship game or Super Bowl, and wait for a head coaching situation that he truly covets as opposed to taking first available.

Of course, if Waldron’s offense falls flat then it will be expected that he takes his share of the blame. If Waldron takes too much heat for a lackluster offense he may have to continue taking assistant and coordinator roles. Nothing wrong with that as every job in the NFL is highly sought-after, but there’s a good chance Waldron wants more than his current title. This year can build a real foundation for him to show he deserves a leading man spot.

Rams fans will get a chance to see Waldron and his Chicago offense in action when the Bears host LA on September 29th. Think anyone will mention that Waldron used to coach with Sean McVay around then?

 

[Merlin]

DJ Moore and Keenan Allen alone are outstanding as a duo. Then you have Odunze, an elite talent, on top of that. Are you fucking kidding me? On paper that is as good as it gets in terms of talent.

In the backfield Swift is a good back. Not a huge fan of him or anything so I'd say their backfield is functional with solid depth. I've always respected Kmet, and see him as a solid TE.

Bears like a lot of under performing offenses have OL issues. On the plus side of things this scheme is quite beneficial to OL with the movement and misdirection. But on the negative side I don't consider Waldron to be anything special as a gameplanner or gameday caller.

So it seems to me like a lot will be on the back of the rookie QB. He will be required to buy time on passing downs to some extent, which is to say I expect their protections will be on the iffy side of things. And that plus a rook adjusting to a higher level league equals mistakes. Whether they get to the playoffs probably comes down to this equation more than anything else for them, that OL and QB combination and finding a comfort zone.

Their defense last season was 19th in points allowed. I like the addition of Sweat and retaining Johnson. But that's a middle of the pack defense most likely, at best, meaning that rook QB is going to find himself in more shootouts than is ideal to help him limit mistakes.

I really like Caleb. He's a bit small but still within that range where his other talents should be able to overcome it. But he's a rookie and that line has a lot of questions. Still, my expectation is they'll be a top ten offense, because Caleb's strengths benefit their weaknesses, and because he's got WRs who are going to get separation and threaten defenses. So IMO Chicago is going to be a playoff team, probably wildcard level.