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TMZSports.com
Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, and Gale Sayers all suited up for the Chicago Bears, but offensively, the 2024 roster may be the most loaded in the legendary franchise’s history, according to former Bears star lineman, 6x Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz.
TMZ Sports talked to Kreutz — who anchored the Bears’ offensive line for 13 seasons (from 1998 to 2010) — Friday morning after the squad made two big splashes during round one of the NFL Draft, selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, and stud wide receiver Rome Odunze with the 9th pick. We asked the Bears great for his reaction to the picks.
“For the Chicago Bears now, I mean, talent-wise, maybe the most talent that they’ve ever had on the offensive side of the ball if Caleb Williams turns out to be who people think he can be.”
And, what people think Caleb can be is a superstar NFL quarterback. During his two seasons at USC, Williams threw for 8,170 yards with a near 68% completion rate, and 72 touchdowns, with just 10 picks, making him arguably the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012.
As a player, Kreutz snapped the ball to 20 different signal callers — McNown, Grossman, Griese, Orton, Cutler, and so on — and he finally believes Chi-town has their foundational piece under center.
“To see a guy like [Williams] drafted, maybe he can finally solve the riddle, the problem, which has been the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears. It is an exciting day here in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago.”
As for where Caleb stacks up with the other Bears QBs, Olin thinks he’s the best prospect they’ve ever had.
“In my mind, prospect-wise, maybe the best guy to walk on the field for the Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler, obviously in the argument, talent-wise. But if you watch this guy’s film, the things Caleb Williams does on film, the way he gets the ball out, the way he creates plays, the way he can extend plays with his legs, get the ball down the field, his accuracy,” Kreutz extolled.
Add Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore to the star rookies, along with a host of other talented players, and week 1 can’t come soon enough for fans in the Windy City!