During Friday's joint practice between the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, Joey Bosa appeared to give Caleb Williams a shove and none of the offensive lineman came to protect Williams, according to a Chicago Bears reporter. It was during a drill with a running clock and the offense was trying to get in one final play. So there’s two ways to look at this situation.
You can look at it one of two ways. Either the offense was too wrapped up in getting through the drill and running a simulated situation. They weren’t going to waste a play over something that wasn’t too malicious. It’s also the idea that maybe an offensive lineman didn’t see it and because nothing came of it, they didn’t feel the need to make it a big spectacle.
Or you could look at it as the offensive line refusing to defend Williams. If it was a big enough shove to catch the reporters’ eyes, why would the offensive line now go back to defend Williams? That’s the job of the offensive line, both between the whistles and after, if warranted. Again, with it being practice I wouldn’t think too much into it. But if the Bears' offensive line doesn’t have Williams’ back this season, it will be something to look back on.
Joey Bosa gets away with a shove on Caleb Williams, which could turn into a bigger issue this season
Bosa’s shove on Williams should only be a problem if the lineman shows a pattern of not having Williams’ back this season. I wouldn’t look too much into it now because of the situation of the drill. Teams typically have no problem fighting during training camp and if Williams was pushed a little too hard, I’d like to think the lineman would stand up for Williams.
I have a hard time believing Ben Johnson wouldn’t set a standard that doesn’t protect his quarterback. This team had a lot of discipline issues last year and I’d like to think that with Johnson, this team is in a better position. Johnson is bringing a new culture with him to Chicago. And part of that has to be protecting his quarterback.
Bosa may have gotten away with one this time around, but I think it’s less about letting Bosa get away with it and rather the team being committed to the drill and not realizing something happened. It was a speed run drill and focus was on making sure they got another playoff. But if they did let Bosa pull a fast one on Williams, it certainly can’t become a pattern in season.