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Wide receiver Keenan Allen has seen a lot in his 11-year NFL career: season-ending injuries, Hall of Fame teammates, a location change from San Diego to Los Angeles, and then a trade to the Chicago Bears. He's also seen two first-round rookie quarterbacks take the reins of the franchise, although their starting points were quite different.
In Los Angeles, Keenan Allen was present as Justin Herbert came in as the sixth-overall pick and was given the starting job only after a pregame medical incident resulted in a punctured lung for starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor ahead of the Chargers' Week 2 game.
In Chicago, months before the Bears even selected him with the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, fans and media had already anointed Caleb Williams not only the starting quarterback for the Bears but as a potential franchise savior.
One may not assume there would be much of a difference between the first- and sixth-overall picks in the NFL Draft, but that's not the way Keenan Allen sees it. In fact, he could narrow down the difference between Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert in just one word.
“The confidence,” Allen said earlier this week, according to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “He [Williams] has always been the guy. When we first had Herbert, he wasn’t really a starter going into Week 1, so that’s a difference.
“He’s always been the guy, so he’s always had the expectation of playing at that level that we play at. He’s ready for it; he’s up for the task. His confidence is good.”
Caleb Williams' confidence has been on display for years now. Whether it's his willingness to paint his fingernails or express his emotions in the face of criticism or his belief in his own ability and his future — remember that eight Super Bowl goal Williams set for himself? — it's crystal clear that Williams and those around him believe he was born for this.
“I wouldn’t rather be with another guy right now than Caleb,” Allen noted. “He’s gotten better ever since we started. The confidence is through the roof.”
Caleb Williams' growth has Bears fans thinking playoffs
Keenan Allen isn't the only one who sees the growth of Caleb Williams. From head coach Matt Eberflus down to Williams himself, there's a belief that the once-mighty Bears will soon roar again thanks in large part to the right arm of No. 18.
“He always rises to the occasion,” Eberflus said of his rookie quarterback after Chicago's preseason win over Cincinnati.
Rising to the occasion is a task much easier to handle when you're prepared, and because the Bears were adamant out of the gate that the QB1 job belonged to Caleb Williams the second he walked into the building, he's been working toward this moment.
“Basically, having zero knowledge to the knowledge I have now of the offense has been tremendous because they’ve been challenging me from that stage and to now,” Williams said Wednesday, per Schrock.
“It’s been awesome the amount of ball that I’ve been able to see, the amount of ball that I’ve been able to learn from the coaches and also from being out there with the guys, listen to people like Keenan [Allen] and also going versus the defense.”
The next opportunity for Caleb Williams is this Sunday when the Bears host the Tennessee Titans in what will be one of the most highly anticipated home openers in Bears history. The city is ready. The team is ready. And Keenan Allen knows, Caleb Williams is ready.
