Bears Named ‘Landing Spot’ for Top Free Agent as Talks Heat Up
The Chicago Bears have an impressive supporting cast in place for quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season in 2024, but one of the top remaining free agents on the market — Connor Williams — could help them take it to the next level.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Williams is “in discussions with multiple teams” about potentially signing with them for the 2024 season. The 27-year-old center has high-quality starting experience for Dallas and Miami over the past few seasons, but he is also coming off a season-ending ACL tear in 2023 from which he is still recovering.
Schefter did not disclose which teams are in contact with Williams, but that did not stop CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo from surveying the field and figuring out which teams might be the best “landing spots” for Williams as he charts his path for the upcoming season.
“It’s largely assumed that the Bears’ top goal for 2024 is getting No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to the finish line healthy,” DeArdo wrote on June 19. “Adding a player of Williams’ caliber would do that while also giving some much-needed depth and versatility to Chicago’s front.”
Does Connor Williams Still Make Sense for Bears?
Williams was a popular name on free agent wishlists for the Bears heading into the start of 2024 free agency. Chicago had released veteran Cody Whitehair and did not seem interested in re-signing Lucas Patrick — he is now in New Orleans — creating a major hole in their offensive line as they prepared to draft a new franchise quarterback.
The Bears, however, did not sit on their hands and wait. Almost two weeks before the start of the new league year, the Bears traded a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for veteran center/guard Ryan Bates. Then, 10 days later, they signed former Los Angeles Rams starter Coleman Shelton to a one-year, $3 million deal.
The presumption is that Bates will get first crack at winning the starting center job for the Bears in 2024, but their exact plans for the position have not been made fully clear. If the Bears are confident in the personnel they currently have — which also includes 2022 sixth-rounder Doug Kramer Jr. — then talking to Williams likely isn’t worth it.
Still, Williams has been an elite-cailber run blocker over the past two seasons and finished as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-highest-graded overall center during his last healthy season with the Dolphins in 2022. He also just turned 27, giving plenty of long-term starter potential. That could be valuable to a team with a No. 1 rookie at the helm.
