Chicago Bears fans are putting all their eggs in the Caleb Williams basket. After years of turmoil at the quarterback position, the team has finally landed the top prospect from his draft class. Williams has talent and pedigree, but his position in the pros is yet to be determined, of course.
Still, based on what the Bears' coaches are saying about Caleb Williams so far, he seems to be acclimating pretty well. Quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph notes the rookie's “hunger” in learning about the game, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
“He texts me, ‘Hey, why are we doing this here? Why are we blocking it like that? Isn't that his guy to block?' He wants to know those answers. He's hungry for it, and you love to know that because now he becomes a coach on the field for you. Once he gets it and learns this whole system, he'll become a coach on the field.”
Williams' personal coach Will Helwett also was pretty positive of the new Bears quarterback.
Said Hewlett: “I would call him the most prepared, ready-to-be pro that I've ever worked with.”
As for head coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears head coach praised Williams' willingness to listen and learn the ropes.
“I would say the learning,” coach Matt Eberflus said of the thing that most impressed him about Williams. “…Having a beginner's mindset to be able to learn, absorb, ask questions and just keep learning. That's what's been impressive to me. If he does that, he'll be just fine.”
Williams' path to NFL
For most of the 2023 season, Caleb Williams was considered as the top prospect in the entire nation. The USC Trojans quarterback was highly regarded even before getting into college. In the 2023 season, Williams showed off his skills, using his creativity and agility to create plays for his team. It's the main reason why the Bears felt that giving up former first-round pick Justin Fields was the right call.
That being said, just because a player is highly regarded out of college doesn't mean that he will be a star in the NFL. The Bears know that all too well. In 2017, the team drafted Mitchell Trubisky with the second pick in the draft. Trubisky never panned out as an All-Star level player, much less a serviceable player. There were extraneous factors, for sure, but Trubisky proved to be someone that was not worthy of the second pick.
Still, there's plenty for Bears fans to like about Caleb Williams. While he's a great improviser by nature, Williams is more than capable of reading defenses and making the right pass. It's going to be a learning curve: Chicago's stout defense is already giving him fits in training camp. Still, iron sharpens iron. Williams going up against a top defense in practice can only make him better.
Expectations are surprisingly high for the Bears next season, despite fielding a rookie at quarterback. Then again, that just might be the hope coming out from the Chicago fanbase. How far will this team go in the 2024 season?
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