Tyler Dunne and Caleb Williams: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes

The NFL hasn't seen a powder keg quite like this in a long time. When Tyler Dunne, the founder of Go Long, dropped his three-part "House of Dysfunction" series on the Chicago Bears in September 2025, it didn't just ruffle feathers. It set the entire city of Chicago on fire.

The report was brutal. It claimed Caleb Williams wasn't just struggling as a rookie—it alleged he was nearly uncoachable.

People were stunned. You've got the No. 1 overall pick, the "Mahomesian" savior, being described as a "glitzy gazelle" who "sashayed" away from his coaches. The imagery was vivid, the accusations were heavy, and the fallout was immediate. Honestly, it felt less like a sports report and more like a forensic autopsy of a franchise in freefall.

The Most Explosive Claims in the Tyler Dunne Piece

The core of Dunne’s reporting centered on the idea that Caleb Williams was more of a "source of turmoil than a victim." According to the series, which reportedly drew from 32 sources (mostly anonymous), the friction inside Halas Hall was constant.

One of the wildest anecdotes involves a Thursday Night Football game against the Seahawks. Dunne wrote that when interim coach Thomas Brown tried to correct Williams on the sideline, the rookie simply turned his head and walked away. Brown allegedly had to scream over the headset for him to "get your ass back here."

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But it wasn't just "attitude." The report went deep into the "how" of the Bears' offensive collapse.

• The Playbook: Sources told Dunne the offense had to be "dumbed down" to a "Ready, set, go!" cadence because Williams struggled with complex verbiage.
• The Wristband: Coaches allegedly described Williams staring at his play-wristband "like it was in another language," leading to half the plays being called incorrectly in the huddle.
• The "Rigged" Captaincy: The report alleged that the team's leadership vote was essentially steered by the front office to ensure Williams wore the "C" on his jersey.

Then there was the bombshell about dyslexia. Dunne reported that multiple personnel men saw evidence that Williams has the condition and that GM Ryan Poles may have kept it quiet during the draft process. It’s a massive claim. If true, it suggests a front office that was "full ostrich mode," ignoring red flags to justify their pick.

Why the Timing of the Report Sparked a War

The timing was, frankly, kind of mean. Dunne dropped this massive "tell-all" just days before the Bears' 2025 season opener.

Bears fans were already on edge. Critics immediately pointed out that Dunne is a former Packers reporter, leading to theories that this was a "hit piece" designed to destabilize the locker room.

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Max Markham and other Chicago media figures were quick to defend the kid. They argued that anonymous coaches—likely the ones who lost their jobs when the 2024 staff was gutted—were just "sour grapes" looking for a scapegoat. It’s the classic NFL blame game. When a season goes 5-12, the coaches blame the QB’s work ethic, and the QB’s camp blames the coaching "malpractice."

Ryan Poles and the "Rigged Trial"

Part II of Dunne’s series shifted the lens toward the front office. It painted Ryan Poles as a man who had his mind made up on Caleb Williams long before the first interview.

According to the report, the Bears didn't conduct a "true" due diligence process. While they met with Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, the "House of Dysfunction" series alleges those meetings were mostly for show.

One scout reportedly mentioned that the team never properly vetted Williams' work ethic or medicals in the way they did for other prospects. It raises a fair question: Did the Bears fall in love with the "generational" talent and ignore the "personnel" reality?

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Is Caleb Williams Actually the Problem?

You have to look at both sides. On one hand, you have veteran leaders like DJ Moore and Marcedes Lewis who have publicly stood by Williams. He was voted captain again by a brand new coaching staff in 2025. That doesn't usually happen if a guy is a locker room cancer.

On the other hand, the "House of Dysfunction" details are so specific that it’s hard to imagine they are entirely made of thin air. The "sashaying" might be colorful language, but the "incorrect play calls in the huddle" is a technical failure that teammates notice.

The reality likely lives somewhere in the middle. Williams was a 22-year-old kid entering a dysfunctional environment with a coaching staff (Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus) that was already on the hot seat. That’s a recipe for disaster for any rookie, let alone one with the "Prince" persona that Williams carries.

What You Can Take Away From This

If you're following the Caleb Williams saga, don't just take one report as gospel. The NFL is a game of narratives.

• Scrutinize the Source: Anonymous quotes from fired coaches are often biased, but 32 sources is a lot of smoke for there to be no fire.
• Watch the Body Language: Keep an eye on how Williams interacts with his current coaches. If he’s still "walking away" from huddles, the Dunne report starts looking a lot more like a blueprint than a hit piece.
• Demand Transparency: The dyslexia claim is serious. If it affects his ability to process a playbook, it’s something the team needs to address openly rather than hiding.

To really understand where this is going, you should compare the "House of Dysfunction" claims against the Bears' actual performance under the new 2025 regime. If the "JV football" play-calling is gone and the huddle is crisp, then maybe the problem wasn't the quarterback—it was the people teaching him. Check the All-22 film from the Seahawks game to see if you can spot the sideline tension yourself.