Leading insider pours cold water on Commanders quest for Caleb Williams

A leading insider poured cold water on growing speculation linking the Washington Commanders with a daring raid for quarterback Caleb Williams.

Caleb Williams is the hottest quarterback to emerge from the college ranks in some time. He's also been strongly linked with the Washington Commanders in recent days after the team hired Kliff Kingsbury to be their new offensive coordinator.

It didn't take long for the speculation to rise after Kingsbury's appointment became public knowledge. Williams is a Washington fan, but anyone expecting this to be a sure thing might be out of luck.

The Chicago Bears hold the aces at No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. There is some chatter about keeping faith with Justin Fields. But it would be the second consecutive year where general manager Ryan Poles has spurned the chance to bring another college signal-caller into the organization. Something that would make or break his tenure in no uncertain terms.

Adam Schefter skeptical about Commanders drafting Caleb Williams

Williams would likely jump at the chance to lead his boyhood team back to prominence. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the consensus around the NFL centers on the Bears taking the Heisman Trophy winner based on comments via Yahoo Sports.

"There are a few issues with this. Number one, are the Bears going to be willing to move on from taking Caleb Williams, which I believe seems to be the widespread consensus around the league: that Caleb Williams will be the No. 1 pick. And if they are willing to move on from him, then [the Bears] have to like either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels enough — or Justin Fields. But again, the feeling around the league seems to be that they'll wind up trading Justin. Whether or not they do, we'll see, but that seems to be the feeling."

- Adam Schefter via Yahoo Sports

If the Ben Johnson saga taught us anything, it's that nobody is more connected than Schefter. He was on his own in stating that the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator going to the Commanders wasn't the done deal many envisaged. As it turned out, he was spot-on in his assessment of the situation.

Schefter pouring cold water on anyone but the Bears getting a chance to draft Williams holds a ton of weight. Of course, nothing is set in stone just yet. It's a fast-moving situation with many layers attached. There are plenty of twists and turns to come thanks to upcoming pre-draft assessment events such as the NFL Scouting Combine.

If Schefter is correct yet again, the Commanders must have a clear contingency plan in place. Drake Maye also looks tailormade to thrive in Kingsbury's offense. The same can be said of Jayden Daniels, who remains a wildcard thanks to an exceptional final campaign at LSU.

Washington could trade up. They could trade down. Nothing should be off the table currently. This draft is a tremendous opportunity for general manager Adam Peters to stamp his mark on the franchise. Starting his era by acquiring a future franchise quarterback for the Commanders would be a good place to start.

Williams joining the Commanders would be a fairytale scenario. Unfortunately for the player and the franchise, it's never that simple where the NFL is concerned.