Caleb Williams shows progress but fellow Bears rookie drops the ball in Week 16

Chicago QB Caleb Williams shows progress but fellow Bears rookie Rome Odunze drops the ball in Week 16

It’s always instructive when a player faces the same team for a second time. For a rookie quarterback like Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the second matchup is a good opportunity to gauge progress against a constant variable.

In Week 16, Williams showed very real growth in his all-around game from the first time he and his Bears met the Detroit Lions. It didn’t translate into a win; Chicago dropped its ninth straight game and the second in four weeks to Detroit.

Don’t blame Williams. The No. 1 overall pick looked like a much better quarterback in Sunday’s 34-17 home loss than he showed against the Lions on Thanksgiving. The raw numbers reflect the uptick in Williams’ play:

Week 13: 20-of-39, 256 passing yards, three TDs, five sacks
Week 16: 26-of-40, 334 yards, two TDs, two sacks

The way in which Williams ran the offense showed considerable progress from a month earlier. Williams consistently showed confidence in his pre-snap read and did a good job of getting the ball out quickly. Trusting his eyes and his receivers has been an ongoing issue for Williams all season (and also at USC), but there was much less of that in the second matchup with the Lions.

His touchdown strike to Keenan Allen is a great example:

 

Allen runs a fantastic, subtle route to get Lions rookie CB Terrion Arnold to bite on the shallow release. That presents a window of opportunity for Williams to hit the veteran wideout before the safety closes that window.

A month ago, Williams probably holds this ball an extra count, or unnecessarily moves off his spot. Not here. This is a well-timed throw with great accuracy, creating a touchdown to take advantage of Allen running a great route and exploiting a small mistake in coverage.

Given that the Bears lost left tackle Braxton Jones and left guard Teven Jenkins to injuries during the game, Williams handled himself capably. There were still some “what are you doing?!” plays, but fewer than the last meeting. This is a game the Bears can point to as one where Williams took a big step forward in his quest to ameliorate some concerns and doubts about his potential to become Chicago’s long-term quarterback.

Unfortunately for the Bears, Williams’ fellow top-10 rookie did not have a good overall game. Wideout Rome Odunze fumbled the ball away on his first two touches. The first came on a botched exchange with Williams in the backfield that looked like Odunze tried to pin the ball to his hip instead of taking the ball cleanly. The second came after a catch, with the Lions defense punching the ball free.

Williams did later connect with Odunze for a very nice fourth-down conversion, a deliberate jump ball that allowed the physical wideout to use his strength and positioning to win.

 

Caleb Williams sees the ousting of his first head coach despite elite performance

Caleb Williams sees the ousting of his first head coach despite recent strong play from the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft

It is almost bizarre how shockingly consistent the Chicago Bears have been in pairing young quarterbacks with new head coaches within their first two seasons. First Mitch Trubisky, then Justin Fields, and now in the middle of his rookie season, Caleb Williams loses the head coach who drafted him despite the rookie’s best efforts.

 

The boiling point for Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears was clearly what happened at the end of their primetime Thanksgiving day matchup against the Detroit Lions. Instead of taking a timeout and serving up a handful of plays to be able to move into field goal range or win the game with a touchdown, the Bears let the clock bleed out and handed Detroit a win on a silver platter. This is despite a performance from Caleb Williams that was one of his best on the season with over 250 yards passing a 3 touchdown passes on the afternoon.

Bears fans are hoping this consistent pattern of moving on from a coach with a young quarterback on the roster doesn’t blow up in their faces again as they clearly possess one of the most talented young signal callers in the league. Williams has the ability to bounce back from this and carry over success, but it will be a matter of finding the right fit to lead this team going into next season.

Caleb Williams rookie season is quickly turning into a nightmare

Meet the new Chicago QB, same as the last Chicago QB…

It wasn’t that long ago that the number one overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, was being picked across the board as a potential winner of the “Offensive Rookie of the Year” award and being touted as the next rookie phenom in the league. Over the last few weeks as the starter for the Chicago Bears, Williams has come way back down to Earth as his rookie season has hit a major wall.

 

While there are certainly multiple factors going into the lack of success for Williams and the Bears as of late, the rookie has not been playing up to the level we saw at USC that made him such a highly touted prospect. Over the last three starts, Williams and the Bears have not scored a single touchdown despite boasting one of the best receiver groups in the entire league. In a head-to-head with fellow rookie Drake Maye this past Sunday, Williams looked far behind Maye, who has a much worse supporting cast.

 

Of course this isn’t to say this lays completely at the shoulders of Williams or that this is going to cement his future in the league. Williams is behind one of the least consistent group of offensive linemen in the league, and with his tendency to hold onto the ball and locate the big play, it has been a disaster when it comes to his sack numbers.

We have seen high levels of play from Williams in a few games this season, and no one questions the talent level that exists for him. If Chicago wants to stop the bleeding and help salvage the rookie season of Williams, they must adapt better on offense and lean into his skillset more. If the protection can start holding up and Williams is able to get more comfortable with better play calling, this offense still has a shot to emerge in the near future.

Caleb Williams dominates in Bears big win over Jaguars in London

Top pick Caleb Williams dominates in Bears big win over Jaguars in London

That’s what the Chicago Bears thought they were getting when they took Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick. Sunday morning was a fireworks show for the Bears offense and Williams, who had his best game of the season by far in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Williams showed off and showed out finishing with 23 of 29 completions, 226 passing yards, and 4 passing touchdowns through the air. Williams also showed off some of his electricity on the ground adding in 56 yards on just 4 carries for a 14.0 yard per carry average.

It’s good to see one of the most hyped up prospects of recent memory starting to pull it all together. Williams looks like the game is slowing down for him and he is able to sling it all over the field like he did at USC. Given the number of weapons the Chicago Bears have and the level that their defense is playing at, it wouldn’t be a shock to see this rookie quarterback help drive his team to the playoffs.

Rookie Caleb Williams outduels veteran Matthew Stafford in big win for the Bears

Rookie Caleb Williams outduels veteran Matthew Stafford in big win for the Bears and a battle of No. 1 overall picks

It seems like this crop of rookie quarterbacks is starting to their groove after some early bumps to the season. With Jayden Daniels miles ahead in the rookie of the year conversation after yet another elite performance, it’s easy to forget that the number one overall pick had quite a day himself against a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.

Williams was effective and turnover-free on the day, completing 17 for 23 passes, passing for 157 yards, and a really nice touchdown to veteran D.J. Moore. While it is a far cry from the sky-high expectations that were placed on Williams early on, it can’t be overlooked that Williams is playing well and notching wins against competitive teams.

The Chicago Bears and Williams now sit in a solid position for a potential playoff push, and given that Williams is bound to develop even further as the season progresses, this Bears offense could dig up some of the expectations and lay it at the laps of opposing defenses come November. Look for Williams to continue his winning ways at home against the team that traded the chance to draft him away in the Carolina Panthers.

Caleb Williams signs his rookie deal with the Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams signs his rookie deal with the Chicago Bears as does fellow first-rounder Rome Odunze

The Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams finally got everything ironed out. A day after Williams was all over the NFL news for remaining unsigned and without an agent, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft signed his rookie contract.

Williams signed the four-year deal with the fifth-year team option that is commensurate with his draft slot. It’s worth $39 million and includes a $25.5 million signing bonus. Williams, from USC, is expected to start at quarterback right away as the top pick in the draft.

The Bears also signed their other first-round pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze, who had also remained unsigned as players reported to Chicago’s training camp.

2024 Rookie preview: Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears

2024 Rookie preview for No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams with the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears experienced a bit of a windfall via a nuclear breakdown of the Carolina Panthers organization, inheriting the eventual number one overall pick in a trade from last offseason. With that first overall pick, the Bears landed on one of the most hyped-up prospects we have seen at the quarterback position since Trevor Lawrence in former USC playmaker Caleb Williams.

Along with the hype coming from his draft stock, Williams also has high expectations as he inherits one of the best situations a first-overall pick has ever walked into, with Chicago loading up on offensive weapons like fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze and Pro-Bowl veteran Keenan Allen.

On the field at USC Caleb Williams was a playmaking machine and the best quarterback in the entire country for the better part of two years. William’s play is set to translate well to a modern NFL offense that relies on quarterbacks to make plays outside of the pocket and extending the play to find openings down the field. There was no one better at that in this class than Williams, and he is set to thrive with a re-tooled offensive line and an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. Expect Williams to live up to the hype and produce heavily as a rookie.

Stat projection: 4,200 passing yards, 450 rushing yards, 34 touchdowns, 14 interceptions

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Caleb Williams remains unsigned and without an agent as Bears camp is about to kick off

Top 2024 draft pick Caleb Williams remains unsigned and without an agent as Bears camp is about to kick off

Top overall pick Caleb Williams will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears as soon as he officially enters the roster. Of that, there is zero question.

However, Williams still has yet to officially sign his rookie contract with the Bears. And a complicating factor in the delayed signing is that Williams does not have an agent representing him on contractual matters. That means that technically only Williams is allowed to negotiate with the Bears.

So when Williams indicated over the weekend that he’s not personally handling his own contract dealings, it raised an eyebrow or two. Williams was speaking at a charity event he hosted in Chicago on Saturday.

“I’m not handling that,” Williams said via the Chicago Tribune. “My lawyers and attorney and everybody, the head of the Bears, everybody up there up top is handling that. That’s not my position that I’m handling.”

According to the NFLPA regulations, Williams is the only one who is allowed to handle that because he does not have a recognized agent. It’s a letter-of-the-law technicality and nothing more than that, but it’s still notable that Williams openly admits he’s skirting the NFLPA’s laws before he ever steps foot on the field.

As noted above, it’s nothing for Bears fans to be concerned about. Williams’ salary is locked in; there’s nothing really to negotiate. The same is true with fellow first-rounder Rome Odunze, who also has yet to sign his rookie deal with the Bears. The rookies are expected to report to Chicago’s training camp on Tuesday.

Did the Bears tip their hand for the No. 1 pick by interviewing surprise coach?

The Chicago Bears might have tipped their hand for the No. 1 pick by interviewing a surprise coach

One of the presumed stories of the NFL draft cycle was going to be placed on the No. 1 overall pick held by the Chicago Bears. Would Chicago stick with their young playmaking quarterback in Justin Fields? Or would they move forward with one of the best young quarterbacks to come out of the draft in years with USC’s Caleb Williams?

On Friday, the Bears are expected to interview former Arizona Cardinals head coach and USC senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator job. This comes out of nowhere and lands as a bit of a surprise given Kingsbury’s track record with the Arizona Cardinals, and really only makes sense should the Bears be heavily favoring drafting the USC stud with the number one overall pick.

Though the possibility of Chicago simply wanting to find a unique coordinator for their current unique quarterback remains, it seems far more likely for them to target Kingsbury for his familiarity in a system that Williams dominated in and the familiarity with the young quarterback in general. While nothing is set in stone it is certainly a proverbial tipping of the hand to make a move like this heading into draft season, and one that could fire off a rapid domino effect for the following two draft selections.

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent wins the Bears backup QB job

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent from D-II Shepherd wins the Bears backup QB job

It’s been an impressive summer for a lot of the quarterbacks in the NFL draft class of 2023. From Bryce Young in Carolina to Aidan O’Connell in Las Vegas, Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Cleveland and others in between, the QBs selected in April’s draft are off to a strong start in the preseason.

The early success extends beyond the drafted quarterbacks, too. In Chicago, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent performed well enough throughout training camp and the preseason to win the Bears’ backup QB spot behind Justin Fields. Bagent, from D-II powerhouse Shepherd, beat out veteran P.J. Walker for the No. 2 spot.

It’s an impressive rise for Bagent, who had a mixed bag of a Senior Bowl week that likely kept him from being drafted in the late rounds. He completed 20 of his 29 passes for 156 yards and one INT in Chicago’s three preseason games, also running for two touchdowns.

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