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The Chicago Bears are entering a new era under rookie QB Caleb Williams. Chicago finished with a 7-10 record in 2023 and expectations will be much higher in 2024. This will put a lot of pressure on Caleb Williams to succeed right away in the NFL. One of Williams' offensive lineman has complete faith that the team will live up to expectations this year, all thanks to Caleb Williams.
Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins recently sat down with Carmen Vitali of FOX Sports. They talked on a variety of topics, including his confidence in Caleb Williams.
“You can tell that he's definitely a businessman,” Jenkins said. “The way he carries himself everywhere. He doesn't let the outside noise get to his mental. It's good he can do that, especially in Chicago.”
Then Jenkins hit Vitali with a knowing look, eyes darting side to side before continuing.
“I've seen things these past few years,” Jenkins continued, probably referring to the frustration within the Bears' fanbase. “So, I'd say he definitely has a good head on shoulders and is going in the right direction.”
Jenkins is doing whatever he can to help Caleb adjust to the NFL game.
“He's a rookie so he's coming here with like, those like wide eyes, you know?” Jenkins said about Caleb Williams. “So, it's like, we're trying to understand what we can do to help him out. Like certain cadences, certain voice inflections, things that he needs to look for, all that stuff. Even the small stuff, like we see a nickel corner, starting to blitz — we'll [call that out] to get his eyes over there. Like, maybe it's alert hot somewhere else or something. Just having that older line—”
Jenkins then paused before concluding “It's crazy. I'm older now.”
Vegas sportsbooks favor Caleb Williams, Matt Eberflus for major NFL awards
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Sportsbooks are starting to believe in the Bears as well.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Caleb Williams is currently the favorite at +135 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Fellow first-round picks Jayden Daniels (+500) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (+700) are the only other players who have odds that are less than 10-to-1.
Since the merger, the only Chicago Bear to win Offensive Rookie of the Year was running back Anthony Thomas in 2001. Thomas rushed for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns. Both of those figures ended up being career highs. Prior to the merger, three Chicago Bears had won the award: legendary tight end Mike Ditka and running backs Gale Sayers and Ron Bull.
If Caleb Williams won Offensive Rookie of the Year, then he will be on track to become the best QB in Bears history. Chicago has infamously struggled to find solid QB play throughout franchise history. In fact, Chicago still has yet to produce a 4,000-yard passing season from any of its QBs in franchise history.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is also the betting favorite to win Coach of the Year at +800. His main competition comes from Jim Harbaugh (+1000), Robert Saleh (+1100), Matt LaFleur (+1200), Raheem Morris (+1300) and DeMeco Ryans (+1300). It can often be difficult to predict what voters will value when voting for Coach of the Year. That said, it is easy to see why each of these coaches could win the award.
Ultimately, Caleb Williams has a much better chance to win his award than Eberflus. Williams is only competing with a limited crop of offensive rookies, whereas Eberflus is competing with every single NFL head coach. There's simply too much that could go wrong for Eberflus, even if the Bears have an awesome season.
