The Chicago Bears are entering one of their most anticipated seasons in recent memory. Rookie QB Caleb Williams has the fanbase in a frenzy and expectations are higher than they have been in years. The hype train is continuing full speed as ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently gave Williams some praise in a new ranking on the site.
Orlovsky released a comprehensive top 10 QB ranking this morning. Orlovsky's ranking measures NFL QBs by several different traits and ranks the top 10 QBs for each trait.
Those traits include:
- Arm strength
- Ball placement
- Mechanics
- Decision-making
- Pocket presence
- Rushing ability
- Second reaction
Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams managed to crack the top 10 in one area of Orlovsky's rankings — second-reaction ability.
“Being able to make a play is central to QB success, and the best in the league excel at making off-schedule and off-platform throws,” Orlovsky writes, explaining the value of second-reaction ability. “These second-reaction passes from different arm angles — often on the move — can be the difference between moving the sticks and a stalled drive. They require serious creativity at times.”
Orlovsky ranked Williams as sixth on his ranking behind Patrick Mahomes (1), Josh Allen (2), Lamar Jackson (3), Brock Purdy (4), and Jordan Love (5). Williams is just head of Dak Prescott (7), Jalen Hurts (8), Gardner Minshew (9), and Justin Herbert (10).
“Williams has elite strength, and considering how good he was in this category in college,” Orlovsky wrote. “I fully expect him to instantly be among the NFL's best second-reaction playmakers in 2024.”
Williams has a reputation for making plays off schedule from his college days, and it seems that Orlovsky is confident that he can replicate this in the NFL.
It will be an interesting aspect of Williams' game to watch throughout the rest of his rookie season.
Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams receives high marks after first preseason action
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has noticed how hard Caleb Williams works in practice.
“It's the fruits of his labor,” Eberflus said, per ESPN. “He's been working his tail off in practices and even before that, all through the summer. It's good to be able to say that hey, all this drill work, all the things I've been doing, it's paying off and I can see the improvements. We're going to look at this tape and look back and say, what can I learn from this? There's a lot of things you can learn from this process in getting these reps, as he does in practice when he's going against the 1 defense.”
He praised the rookie QB for having a strong showing in the team's preseason opener against the Bills.
“There's certainly positivity there,” Eberflus said of Williams' debut. “We're not going to squash that. I do feel like we have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to accomplish as a football team, not just Caleb. We all got to play good around him. It's important that we keep improving before that first game.”
In the team's preseason opener, Williams displayed his discipline and quick decision making on multiple occasions. His most impressive play was probably a dump off pass to D'Andre Swift. Williams stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush and eventually found Swift, which resulted in a 42-yard catch-and-run.
We can't wait to see Williams in his regular season debut!
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