Why Caleb Williams called Bears Keenan Allen trade ‘crazy' after USC Pro Day performance
Why Caleb Williams called Bears Keenan Allen trade ‘crazy' after USC Pro Day performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen made a surprise appearance at the USC Pro Day on Wednesday, presumably to check out quarterback Caleb Williams. After his workout was done, Williams joined NFL Network to talk about the unexpected drop in from his potential future teammate.
“That was great,” Williams said on NFL Network. “I’ve known Keenan for a little bit now, hung out. He was at the Chargers at the time, obviously, and now he’s at the Bears for a fourth-round pick, which is crazy.”
It makes sense that Allen and Williams got to know each other at some point over the last two years. Each man is a SoCal football superstar.
“He had his best year last year,” Williams said about Allen. “He’s a beast. Good guy. Awesome dude to be around, he can give you a lot of knowledge.”
If the Bears draft Williams as expected, Allen will play a key role in helping Williams make a smooth transition to the pros in his rookie season. Allen will turn 32 this year, but since he’s able to get open with his precise route running rather than using top end speed to run by defenders there’s good reason to believe he can still play at a high level for several more years. As Williams said, Allen put up big numbers last year. In his 11th season in the NFL, Allen set a career high with 108 catches. His 1,243 receiving yards were the second-best mark of his career. Allen’s seven touchdown catches were the third-most he’s had in a season behind his two eight-TD campaigns in 2013 and 2020.
GM Ryan Poles has worked diligently to set Williams up (or another rookie QB if something extremely unexpected happens in the next month) for success. This year’s Allen trade and last year’s DJ Moore trade give the Bears one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. Poles spent a top-10 pick on Darnell Wright last year and further bolstered the line by signing center Coleman Shelton and trading for interior lineman Ryan Bates. He added another pass catching tight end in Gerald Everett who’s dangerous with the ball in his hands and who should play well alongside Cole Kmet.
This is not the normal situation for a No. 1 overall QB to walk into. Williams recognizes that. If he ends up a Chicago Bears next month, he’ll have a familiar face in the building too.
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