Former NFL Rookie of the Year and ex-ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III thinks very highly of Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Griffin knows a thing or two about being a highly touted quarterback entering the NFL as a top draft pick after a prolific collegiate career. The former Washington Commanders starting quarterback was picked No. 2 overall in the draft and won the Heisman Trophy after posting 47 touchdowns during his senior year at Baylor.
He lived up to the expectations during his rookie season, helping lead Washington to a surprise playoff appearance and a division title after missing the playoffs for four consecutive years. Griffin explains that Williams is stepping into what may be the best situation ever for a rookie quarterback, especially one who is a top overall pick.
“Caleb Williams, the situation that he's stepping into with all these weapons — Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, D'Andre Swift — and a solid offensive line, the structure around him roster-wise is probably the best we've ever seen for a rookie quarterback,” says Griffin in an interview just prior to Week 1 on behalf of his partnership with Snickers.
Williams didn't exactly light it up during his NFL debut, going just 14-for-29 for 93 passing yards. However, he was able to lead the Bears to victory, not turning the ball over a single time while becoming the first No. 1 overall pick to win in his debut game since David Carr led the Houston Texans to victory in 2002.
Griffin calls Williams a “special player” who will be tasked with high expectations of not only producing, but winning at the same time. Although the Bears selected No. 1 overall in the draft, they're coming off of a decent season in which they went 7-10 last year.
“When you make all these changes and you bring in a quarterback that you believe is better than Justin Fields — which I don't think anyone argues that — I think that Caleb Williams is a very special player,” says Griffin. “I called his games when he was in college, both at USC and at Oklahoma, and I watched him take from his running back after he handed it off to him and his running back got gobbled up against Kansas on fourth down. He took the ball from his running back just so he could get the first down. His football IQ is incredible. If they don't win more games than they did last year, or they don't make the playoffs with the high expectations that they had, what happens to the rest of that coaching staff? What happens to the GM in that situation? Because when you make big moves, there has to be results — and that'll be interesting to see.”
Will Caleb Williams win Rookie of the Year?
While Griffin wouldn't go so far as to predict that Williams will win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, he does believe that the former Heisman Trophy winner is “best situated” to do that due to his stacked roster.
“Our job in this industry is not to make predictions,” says Griffin when asked who he thinks will emerge as the best rookie QB. “Our job is to give educated intel to the fans so they can grow and learn. I've learned that you don't have to necessarily answer these questions. It is based off situation. I can hypothetically say that Caleb has the best roster around him. Based off of that, he should win NFL Rookie of the Year, right? He's got three No. 1 wide receivers and a No. 1 tight end. I didn't even mention Cole Kmet.
“Who is best situated to do that and pull that off based on the roster? It's Caleb Williams, hands down. Does that mean that's what's going to happen? Not necessarily. Everyone thought Andrew Luck was going to win Rookie of the Year in 2012 because he had a better roster and better players. But that's why you play the game and it's done on the field.”
Williams is already dealing with some adversity in the form of a Rome Odunze knee injury, but there is nowhere to go but up after his rocky debut performance. Expect to see the rookie get more comfortable as the season goes on and challenge for Rookie of the Year hardware.
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