Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams entered the 2024 NFL Draft as the consensus No. 1 overall pick. By the end of his rookie season, the former USC star was at best the third best rookie quarterback as far as performance.
In an up-and down-season, Williams struggled with consistency. Along with the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick, he also played behind a porous offensive line which led to a ton of pressure and hits that even a quarterback known for his improvisation couldn’t overcome. Still, Williams showed glimpses of what he can be in the NFL.
In passing for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, the Bears rookie quarterback had his moments during the season. Can he build on those moments in Year 2 of his NFL career?
Caleb Williams “super excited” about his sophomore season in the NFL
The answer to that question is well within Williams and his ability to learn from his rookie season mistakes. The answer will be within his growth and ability to improve upon his pre-snap read struggles. The answer will also be whether new head coach Ben Johnson can put him in a better position to succeed, including building a stronger offensive line in front of him.
So far this offseason, the Bears have proved they are trying to protect Williams. They added Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney to the offensive line and still have the 2025 NFL Draft to add more talent to the line and playmakers for Williams. More importantly in Williams’ development in his sophomore season is building a relationship with his new head coach in which he hopes he can really excel.
“Us growing together is key. Starting now. Him pushing me is key. I know that, and he knows that,” Williams said Tuesday during Bears’ offseason workouts, via NFL.com
After seeing the success of Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and even Drake Maye in their rookie seasons, Caleb Williams will be motivated to prove he’s not on the road of being an NFL Draft bust. With an offensive minded head coach and his confidence growing, Bears fans may be in for an interesting season. It’s only April, but the young quarterback is excited about what’s next in his NFL career.
“I’m super excited about it,” Williams said. “Being able to be in this position, being able to have a first year the way I did – ups and downs – and then to be able to come in here as confident as I was last year or possibly even more and be able to get here with the group that we have, I really can’t wait to get to work with these guys.”
Both confidence and patience will be the key to Caleb Williams morphing into a Year 2 star in the NFL. The coaching will be there, the protection will be there. Can Williams learn from his rookie campaign? Can he excel in situations where he will have to improvise like he did at USC? Can he become the leader the Chicago Bears need on offense? If those three things happen along with utilizing his natural arm talent, then there will be no debate on whether the Bears should’ve used their No. 1 pick on the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.