NFL execs pour cold water on Caleb Williams-Bryce Young concerns
As a Bears fan myself, I can assure you that the Caleb Williams era in Chicago has not started how Bears fans imagined it would. Many fans, myself included, were foolishly expecting Williams to arrive in Chicago and light the city up like a young MJ once did . We had visions of not just a competent offense, but one that could be one of the best units in the league. And we're not talking about two or three years down the road. The hope was Williams would be ready to transform the franchise from day one.
Expectations like these are unfair for any rookie, particularly a 22-year-old quarterback who is arriving in a town where historically, QB's have gone to die. But despite knowing this in my rational mind, even I was guilty of proposing the idea that Williams could be the Bears' savior before he took a snap at Soldier Field.
As eager as we were to place "once in a generation" expectations on Caleb Williams, it now seems as if the masses are just as quick to slap a "bust" label on the rookie quarterback. Even if nobody will come right out and use the B-word just yet, recurring comparisons to 2023 1st Overall pick/ recently benched Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young suggest that this is the direction Williams is heading.
However, one very plugged in NFL insider is pulling a Lee Corso and saying Not so fast on this idea. The Athletic's Diana Russini recently spoke with a number of execs around the league and there was a consensus among them :
"In short: Caleb Williams is not Bryce Young. That's what I'm hearing," writes Diana Russini.
Now it should be noted that this wouldn't be as much of a talking point if, like last year, the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft hadn't gotten off to such a promising start. While Bryce Young struggled all season long, CJ Stroud thrived, not only cruising to a Rookie of the Year win , but even finding himself in the MVP conversation by season's end .
Diana Russini says that the individuals she spoke with don't see similarities between this year's top two picks and last year's.
"The many trusted decision-makers I spoke with from around the league made it clear: There are virtually no similarities between this year's top two [Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels ] and last year's, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud."
Caleb Williams' early growing pains to be expected
Those "trusted decision-makers" that Diana Russini spoke with explained that while the Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have crafted an offense that is tailor-made for Jayden Daniels' skillset, the Bears have asked Caleb Williams to not only clear the normal hurdles that all rookie quarterbacks face — a faster game, a new playbook, a longer schedule, etc. — but also an entirely new offensive system which doesn't really resemble what he was running in college.
"Williams is being asked to play with structure and lots of patience, something he isn't used to doing. His ability to throw while on the move — specifically off-script playmaking — is his superpower and what made him a star at USC. Now he's being sped up by defenses and getting little help from mediocre offensive line play."
Despite abysmal offensive line play (particularly on the interior), a non-existent run game, and an offensive coordinator who is calling plays like a 13-year-old would playing Madden, Williams has still shown tremendous growth since he made a rough debut against the Tennessee Titans . Consider, against the Colts last week, Williams shined when he was able to operate from a clean pocket , completing 29-of-43 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown while taking just 2.31 seconds on average to throw.
The linear progress Caleb Williams has shown should ease the concerns of Bears fans. It won't always be this way. Williams will have his ups and downs this year and beyond. But there has been more than enough proof that the Bears won't be in a similar position to the Carolina Panthers next year.
