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Caleb Williams has a developing relationship with fellow rookie Rome Odunze, but the Chicago Bears probably need to move past Matt Eberflus. With a fresh direction for the organization, here are three reasons Williams is the future despite the Bears' horrific 2024 campaign.
Chicago started the season with a 4-2 record. Things looked good. But the Bears experienced a Fail Mary against the Commanders and the nosedive began. The Bears now hold a five-game losing streak, including back-to-back excruciatingly close losses.
It looked like Williams might have been regressing during the stretch, but he bounced back with 340 yards passing and two touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Vikings.
Bears QB Caleb Williams still has elite potential
There has been much said about Williams doing this wrong or that wrong. But most of that can be corrected with proper coaching. Maybe a coach needs to get in his head a little. But Williams will be fine.
Everybody seems to forget that guys like Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Williams are in their first season. They are going to have stretches of poor play. It inevitable. Writing them off, as some have done to Williams, is silly at this point. There’s a huge chance those comments won’t age well.
Too many people wanted to anoint Daniels as the next big thing while talking Williams down. However, the NFL season is 17 games long for a reason. Quarterbacks don’t get graded on their first eight or nine games. They will be judged on the whole season of work.
One of the most ridiculous things came from a rumor that Bears players wanted Tyson Bagent to start at quarterback. Absurd. Williams calmed the situation, as a good leader does, according to his comments on espn.com recently.
“I think those guys are good, easy,” Williams said. “We talk about it. I think I got full support from them. I've gotten texts or calls or people coming up to me, with this situation that just happened, and saying, ‘We got your back, we're with you.' You know, things like that and ‘Let's go.' That kind of mindset and attitude has been what it's been this past couple days. And that's kind of what it's only been.”
Caleb Williams turned up the dimes Sunday
Check out Zachary Pereles on cbssports.com. He pointed out three throws Williams made against the Vikings on Sunday.
“These are insane throws,” Pereles wrote. “Any of them could be among the top highlights of an entire season; Williams delivered them all in one game.
“This has been the most encouraging thing over the past two weeks: Williams becoming a walking/running/throwing highlight reel, like his college career. Under Shane Waldron, Williams seemed glued to the pocket. It felt robotic. Under Thomas Brown, Williams has been outstanding extending plays to either run or pass. On Sunday, on throws that took three seconds or more, Williams went 7 for 9 for 146 yards and a touchdown. Both the completion rate and the yardage were career bests. Even the plays that didn't result in huge gains were impressive.”
This is what Williams brings that can’t be coached. These are the reasons he got picked No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Caleb Williams is a rookie with poor coaching staff
The Bears didn’t make a mistake in selecting Williams. But they have made a mistake in retaining Eberflus. Put Williams under a young dynamic head coach with a sharp offensive plan, and he will flourish.
Williams is still clearly the future for the Bears.
And if you want to know why Eberflus is the problem, he’s grasping at straws and coming up empty as he tries to fix the sputtering offense. Eberflus at least had the sense not to bench Williams a couple of weeks ago. But he didn’t have a pinpoint on what else to do, according to espn.com.
“There will be changes, adjustments, being made,” Eberflus said. “I'm not going to disclose those right now. I'm not at that point in the process. Monday is a long day in terms of the evaluation of everything, in terms of lineups, in terms of the coaching, in terms of how we need to do better in that coaching and in that communication in-game, during the game, after the game, prior to the game. It's important that we take time to make those decisions and make the right decisions that's for the Bears, best for the Bears going forward this week and going forward into the future.”
The Bears needed to beat the Vikings. When it went to overtime, they expected it, according to D.J. Moore’s comments to chicagotribune.com.
“You definitely think something special is about to happen,” Moore said. “When we got to overtime, you’re just thinking, ‘Man, we’re about to win the game.' ”
It didn’t happen, but the blame can’t hang on Williams. Better days are coming. Wins are coming. It may be 2025 before the Bears take off, but Williams should be the pilot.
