There are fans of the Chicago Bears who are expecting the team to take a sizable leap forward this season. Last season was a mess for the Bears, as they lost 10 games in a row and finished 5-12, and that ineptitude cost Matt Eberflus his head coaching job with them.
But they have made some solid offseason additions, and their young core, which includes wide receiver Rome Odunze, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, has another year of experience under its belt.
People across the NFL still seem split on Williams and whether he has what it takes to succeed big-time at the pro level. One scout of a rival team told Athlon Sports that despite Williams' struggles, he displayed tangible reasons to be hopeful for him moving forward.
"'Caleb Williams was running for his life at times,' one rival scout told Athlon Sports. Still, the scout did add that he liked what he saw of the 23-year-old. 'Unlike most rookies, Williams displayed uncommon poise and improvisational ability, and his ad-libbing skills extended plays as he completed passes from a variety of angles.'"
The book on Williams coming into the NFL was that he was great at freelancing and creating something out of nothing, but not so great in the pocket and at running scripted plays.
In 2024, he threw for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns and completed 62.5% of his pass attempts. He posted an anemic 87.8 passer rating and 46.7 QBR.
While at the University of Southern California, Williams threw for a total of 7,870 yards, 72 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 games. In 2022, his sophomore year of college, he was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Heisman Trophy.
One reason for hope regarding Williams this year is Chicago's revamped offensive line. Last year, he was sacked a whopping 68 times, which led the NFL by far.
"'There's a lot of belief in Williams at Halas Hall,' the scout said, adding that he thinks the team did a nice job rebuilding the offense around their young quarterback - specifically the offensive line. 'The Bears were smart with their offseason moves, building a better offensive line by spending on Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson to go with returning tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright,' he said. 'They can be more competitive now and protect Williams.'"
Odunze had a solid rookie year in 2024 with 54 catches, 734 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow wide receiver D.J. Moore has quietly been one of the NFL's most productive skill players over the last several years. Although he has never been named to the Pro Bowl, he has gone over 1,150 receiving yards in four of the last six seasons, and in 2024, he was just 34 yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark.
Chicago's new head coach is Ben Johnson, who had been the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator the previous three seasons. In Detroit, he helped build a winning culture that had been absent there for about 30 years, and he had a hand in quarterback Jared Goff elevating his game.
The Bears have never had a quarterback who threw for 4,000 yards in a single season. In fact, their last legitimate franchise quarterback was Sid Luckman, who played during the 1940s, back in the days when NFL players still wore leather helmets.
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