Louis Riddick weighs in on Justin Fields vs. Caleb Williams debate, what he'd do with No. 1 pick

For the second consecutive NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick — although this time, it’s coming from the Carolina Panthers. That means, even after a 7-10 record, Chicago has the opportunity to select one of the top quarterback prospects in recent memory in Caleb Williams.

The problem, though, is that the Bears still have Justin Fields at quarterback. The goal for 2023 was for Fields to show progress, and he continued to show flashes of what he was capable of doing as a passer. In 13 games, he threw for more yards than he did in 17 appearances last year while cutting down on his interceptions.

However, it’s still a tough decision for general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears. To ESPN’s Louis Riddick, it comes down to a few different factors with that coveted selection atop the board. Ultimately, though, Fields’ chemistry with top receiver DJ Moore and the rest of Chicago’s skill players is a big reason why the Bears could opt to trade that selection.

In the process, they’d get quite the haul.

“Based off of what I see with him, the rapport [Fields] has with the skill position players that they have right now and what they did as far as changing the coaching staff, that leads me to believe from the outside looking in that they believe more the issue was what was happening around him than what is happening with him,” Riddick said on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy in Chicago. “We’ve had this conversation. I’ve been back and forth on this. Like, what the hell is going on? Why doesn’t he always look comfortable, why does the game plan sometimes seem to really not be fitting what he does best, why does sometimes he look jammed up? Why are things not clicking for him?

“Maybe they were seeing the same thing. Maybe they were they were thinking the same way. He’s better than what he’s showing. … I’m leaning towards, I would want to keep him. Trade down, get an absolute just tractor trailer haul and then, go to work as far as team building and build a juggernaut. Because you’d better build a juggernaut especially with the way that division’s looking.”

Why Chicago’s coaching staff changes could indicate the front office’s feelings about Justin Fields

The Bears, despite keeping head coach Matt Eberflus, overhauled the offensive coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and the rest of the assistants are out, and the search is on for a new coordinator. That person will either inherit Fields or be part of the process to select Williams.

To Riddick, the fact that the Bears fired Getsy — who spent the last two years coaching Fields — could indicate the franchise thinks the staff hindered Fields’ development. After all, there were a few flashes of what the former Ohio State quarterback could do to succeed in the NFL.

“If they really thought that this was just a Justin Fields issue, then the coaching staff would still be there on the offensive side,” Riddick said. “They’d still be there. They’d say, ‘Look, we just need to get somebody else. We just need to get somebody else in here because he’s not the guy.’ I think they’re right now going, ‘Was the problem more what was being told to him? How it was being taught to him, how was being corrected, how he was being brought along? Or is it him?’ And I’ll tell you what, if you look at the Atlanta game and you look at the Green Bay game, you see a guy who — you tell me what Justin Fields can’t do. You tell me what he can’t do.

“Now, I understand that we can cherry-pick whatever game you want. But he developed a hell of a rapport with DJ. He’s developed a hell of a rapport with Cole [Kmet]. … Continue to build out this roster offensively around him and get an offensive coaching staff that obviously, you believe in much more than you did the previous staff because again, if you thought it was just Justin and you thought you were just deficient at the quarterback position, why the hell would you get rid of your entire offensive staff?”

Louis Riddick: If the Bears want to draft Caleb Williams, they need to evaluate him on and off the field

The Caleb Williams decision isn’t just about him as a player, though. Chicago — or whichever team drafts him — will have to evaluate his fit in the locker room. In fact, the Bears might have gotten a head start on that by interviewing Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator vacancy. He served as Williams’ quarterbacks coach at USC this past season.

It’s clear Williams has what it takes on the field, according to Riddick. The next question is how he fits into a culture.

“Everybody loves Caleb Williams,” Riddick said. “I love Caleb Williams on tape. He’s different. He’s quick, great arm strength, mobility in the pocket, throw on the move, field vision, confidence, tough, he’s got it all. … I don’t know what kind of person Caleb Williams is. He may be the greatest kid in the world. So I don’t know.

“And I think a lot of times when you’re talking about taking a quarterback at that pick, at the No. 1 overall pick, you can’t really definitively say — whether or not we’re just having the talk here on a radio show or whether we’re actually sitting in the draft room — you can’t really say definitively if you’re gonna go all in, especially at that pick at that position, unless you know more the young man. But on tape, he is the truth. And I’d want him on my football team. No doubt about that.”