New details from Caleb Williams' dinner with Bears veterans

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (QB14) during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams will officially become a member of the Chicago Bears this week. It’s been all but official for the past few weeks, where Chicago has been preparing for the start of the Williams era.

After trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month, the Bears have made no effort to hide their intentions with Williams. They’ve spent extensive time with the future No. 1 pick between Los Angeles (pro day) and Chicago (Top 30 visit). That included getting to meet some of his future teammates.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided new details from Williams’ dinner at Sophia Steak in Lake Forest during his Top 30 visit, where he attended with Bears veterans rather than the front office and coaches.

When Caleb Williams visited Chicago in early April, the Bears did something smart. Rather than have Williams go to dinner with their front office and coaches, they sent him to dinner with team leaders Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, T.J. Edwards and others. The thinking was, those are some of the team’s most respected players, the players who others listen to, and this group then would be able to tell the other players what they were getting in Williams, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Originally, the indication is Williams attended with both front office staff, coaches and players. But it appears the front office and coaches went to a dinner with other Top 30 guests while Williams got a head start building relationships with some of his future teammates and team leaders in DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and T.J. Edwards.

Williams has impressed every step of the way during the pre-draft process, where he’s made strong impressions on general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus and supposedly Bears veterans. Now, the only thing left is for Chicago to submit the card on Thursday night.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: New details from Caleb Williams’ dinner with Bears veterans