It has been a whirlwind of an offseason for second-year Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. A few weeks ago, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham unveiled bits and pieces of his soon-to-be-released book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.”
In the story, Williams rocked his former Bears regime, including head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Three-Time Pro-Bowler in Disbelief Regarding Film Situation
Originally, the interpretation of Williams’ statements in the book was that he was left to rot, watching films all alone with no guidance. This version of the story was hard to believe for fans, players, and many others around the league. For former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, it was no different; an unbelievable circumstance.
Olsen joined Colin Cowherd on “The Herd,” where the two discussed the concept of film study, more specifically, what recently occurred with Williams and Chicago.
“It’s hard for me to believe that was the case,” said Olsen when asked his thoughts on Williams watching film alone. “I’m not saying he’s not being genuine. I’ve been in three different organizations, multiple different head coaches, multiple different head coaches.”
Olsen continued, “I’ve never heard of a guy not having the opportunity to watch film with his position coach–between the quarterback coach, offensive coordinator, someone there. It’s hard for me to believe the organization would let their young rookie watch film by himself.”
Williams Clears Air, Dismisses False Narrative
Shortly after Olsen and Cowherd’s discussion, Williams addressed the media on Wednesday regarding the situation.
Despite the departure of Eberflus and Waldron, Williams made sure to clear the air regarding the mishap, saying his words were taken incorrectly.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film… it was learning ways to watch film and be more efficient.”
Caleb Williams addressed the report about him not knowing how to watch film last season: pic.twitter.com/qkwuLFxRF6
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) May 28, 2025
“Learning ways to watch film and be more efficient, learning ways to pick up things better,” said Williams. “So, that was a funny one that came out. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film, It was trying to figure out the best ways, most efficient ways so that I can watch film and gather more information, so that when I do go out there on gamedays…I can see it. I can react.”
With the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner putting that narrative to bed, he hopes he and the Bears can move forward with a clean slate. That is exactly what new head coach Ben Johnson desires as well.
Johnson comes from an incredibly successful Detroit Lions offense that averaged 33.2 points per game last season. He will be taking over a Bears averaged just 18.2 points. This includes a 10-game losing streak where they averaged an abysmal 13.8 points per contest.
With a re-hauled coaching staff, fresh new weapons for the second-year QB, and a lot more hope, the Bears look to improve on their 5-12 2024 campaign.