‘Tune in on Thursday’, Bears GM says of No. 1 overall pick
QB Bennett rejoins the Rams; Philadelphia CB Rodgers returns from gambling suspension
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears know who they’re taking with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and so does just about everyone else too.
General manager Ryan Poles just wasn’t ready to announce it’s Caleb Williams on Tuesday. He opted to leave that to commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday night.
“So unfortunately it’s one of those things I think everyone’s got to tune in on Thursday to watch and figure out, but I feel really good about our process and where we are and where we’re headed,” Poles said, smiling. “So we know what we’re going to do but everyone is going to have to wait until Thursday to go there.”
Barring a massive surprise, the Bears will kick off the draft by grabbing the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and setting themselves on a course they hope takes them to the top of the NFL. They also have the ninth overall pick as well as a third-rounder (75) and a fourth-rounder (122).
Chicago has been the likely landing spot for Williams since he announced in an Instagram post in January that he was leaving USC and turning pro.
The Bears are in this position thanks to a blockbuster trade last year with Carolina. Chicago sent the No. 1 pick in 2023 to the Panthers for receiver DJ Moore and their first-rounder this year. Carolina finished with a leagueworst 2-15 mark.
Williams checks all the boxes with his arm strength and ability to avoid defenders. He can extend plays and make throws on the run as well as in the pocket — an area where former starter Justin Fields struggled.
Williams had 93 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during three seasons at Oklahoma and USC. He threw for 72 TDs and just 10 interceptions in two years with the Trojans. He also showed the ability to run with 27 rushing touchdowns in college.
The Bears have been eyeing Williams throughout the draft process. They met with him at the combine and spent a few days with him leading into his pro day in Los Angeles.
Williams also made a top 30 visit to Halas Hall and got to have dinner with some of the team’s players, including linebacker T.J. Edwards.
“You get to know people and how they fit in the culture and things like that,” Edwards said. “At the end of the day once we get people here and once whoever is signed will be here, we’ll hit the ground running with that.”
Poles said the feedback about Williams he got from the players at the dinner was positive.
“I think it just confirmed a lot of information that we got,” he said. “You know, there’s a kind of test to where his football understanding is. That part, getting him with some of our players. That’s important to us. We’re in a really good place with our culture in our locker room. As much as I can I want those guys a part of the process of building this team. I trust their feedback and I think that chemistry is really important so that’s why we did that.”
RAMS: Quarterback Stetson Bennett has rejoined the Los Angeles Rams for the start of their offseason program after missing his entire rookie season for undisclosed reasons.
Bennett is attending team meetings and lifting weights with his teammates at the Rams’ training complex, coach Sean McVay confirmed Tuesday. The team hasn’t yet started its on-field workouts.
“He looks good,” McVay said of Bennett. “He’s had a good look in his eyes. He’s been attentive in the meetings.”
The Rams drafted the two-time national championship-winning quarterback from Georgia in the fourth round one year ago. Bennett participated in the Rams’ offseason program and played extensively in the preseason, but was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list five days before Los Angeles’ regular-season opener.
Bennett was expected to be Matthew Stafford’s backup as a rookie, but he didn’t return to the team in 2023. The Rams never announced a reason for Bennett’s absence.
COLTS: Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who was suspended last season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, was reinstated Tuesday.
The league said Rodgers, 26, is cleared to participate in team activities, effective immediately.
The Eagles signed Rodgers in August 2023, two months after the Indianapolis Colts waived him. The Colts let him go shortly after the NFL suspended Rodgers and two other Colts players indefinitely for gambling on NFL games during the previous season.
At least 12 players have been suspended for gambling, beginning with the 2022 season-long suspension of receiver Calvin Ridley. He was reinstated in March and now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.