Tonight on NBC, the Los Angeles Rams are taking on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, but one former scout is pointing out a play he believes could take the Bears’ offense to the next level.
Former Scout Calls on Caleb Williams To Run the Ball
John Middlekauff is a podcaster these days, but he worked in a scouting capacity with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010 to 2013. Despite having left the profession almost 13 years ago, he suggests the Bears should build some running plays around Caleb Williams.
Middlekauff posted the following:
“Ben clearly hates qb runs. But he’s crazy for not having some power packages for Caleb. Qb power, get him in on the move. Doesn’t let the legs cook till he has too. Then it always works.”
Ben clearly hates qb runs. But he’s crazy for not having some power packages for Caleb. Qb power, get him in on the move. Doesn’t let the legs cook till he has too. Then it always works
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) January 19, 2026
Essentially, a QB power is a designed run for the quarterback, but the formation makes it look like a passing play to trick defenses. So when the quarterback comes running downhill, it’s a surprise.
Deploying designed quarterback runs is dangerous territory, especially in the playoffs, where the stakes are so high. The risk of injury is significantly increased, and if something happened to Williams, the team would need to rely on Tyson Bagent, who has primarily been a backup throughout his first three NFL seasons.
Despite head coach Ben Johnson not deploying a power play for Williams, he’s still pretty mobile and racks up rushing yards. In his rookie 2024 campaign, he ran for 489 yards in 81 attempts and 388 yards and three touchdowns on 77 attempts during the 2025 regular season.
Aside from that, the Bears have one of the best running back duos in the league with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
In PFSN’s NFL Running Back Impact Metric (RBi), Swift finished the regular season ranked sixth in the league with an impact score of 79.5 and a letter grade of C+. He rushed for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns while also catching 34 receptions for 299 yards and one touchdown across 16 games during the regular season.
Compared with the rest of the field, Monangai ranked 15th in PFSN’s RBi, with an impact score of 67.2 and a letter grade of D+. The rookie seventh-round pick rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns while also catching 18 passes for 164 yards across 17 games during the 2025 regular season.
