What Delay in Caleb Williams' Medical Exam Says for Bears

3. Tail Wagging the Dog

Whether or not Williams has the right to hold back his medical information at the combine or doesn't isn't relevant here. Of course it's his perogative like it always was for players but they have always chosen to cooperate.

The fact he's not when other players through history haven't says something about where his personal interests rate in relation to his team's or the league's interests.

Again, not that this is wrong or right, it says this flat out that Williams is not going to be be as easy for the Bears to handle as other players have, and they really want him to the point where this doesn't matter.

The fact he also then said he's not coming to Halas Hall this week and will do so at a later date says this to an even greater extent.

Rookie holdouts are really rare these days because everything is slotted, but it happens sometimes over contract wording technicalities. Ask Roquan Smith. It happened to him in 2018 and he missed his rookie training camp. You have to wonder if the Bears might be looking at something like this when Williams is making so many predraft demands.

Williams is not afraid to take a stand but the Bears have to be concerned that stand will be against them, whether it's cash on a second contract, terms of the first contract or another situation that develops through the course of the first deal on or off the field.

The Bears organization hasn't exactly been a team willing to let players enjoy great autonomy over the years in actions or at expressinng themselves. 

This can all indicate they're going to have to get used to learning a new way of doing things with Williams around. They're going to have to allow players greater leeway.

There's a new sheriff in town.

4. Don't Rule Out a Tackle

Assumptions have run rampant about the Bears' need to draft a wide receiver if they get a chance to draft one of the top three available with the ninth pick overall. The logic went that they would naturally want a top receiver in the draft to pair with their new QB.

Tackle might be an even bigger need, someone like Olu Fashanu or Joe Alt now instead of a receiver. 

Braxton Jones is an average to slightly above average left tackle according to Pro Football Focus grades for two seasons. It's possible they can get the bookend tackle complement to right tackle Darnell Wright with the ninth pick. This could be important because it's now apparent Williams is the direction they're going.

It's generally easier to find wide receiver free agency help than it is to find tackle help.

The reason Williams can point them to tackle now is:

• No. 1) Williams isn't as likely as Fields was to get them out of a jam by scrambling when the tackle doesn't get his job done, so he's going to need better pass blocking;
• 2) When Williams goes off-script it's his greatest strength and it usually means he's buying time with his feet trying to get a receiver open. With Fields, it meant he was running. If Williams is going to need more time to get passes off he needs longer pass blocking; 
• 3) The running attack no longer is going to come 30% to 40% from the quarterback's legs on both scrambles or planned runs. It's going to come from a running back and they require better blocking from the tackles than a quarterback would by gaining yards on scrambles; 
• 4) It's not easy to find receivers after Round 1 but it is much easier to find them there than it is to find effective starting tackles there. The supply of standout left tackles or right tackles is never deep enough to meet need. So if a team needs one and is picking them in the top 10, they'd better draft one.