Category: Chicago Bears

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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Draft reaction: Bears select CB Tyrique Stevenson No. 56 overall

Draft reaction to the Bears selecting Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson No. 56 overall

The Chicago Bears add a solid talent to their cornerback room with their second pick of the round in Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson.

With ideal height, weight, speed at the position, Stevenson was able to turn his physical ability into production after he transferred to Miami in 2021. During his two seasons as a Hurricane, Stevenson put up solid numbers with nine passes defended, as well as three interceptions. In coverage he allowed a solid quarterback rating of 73.0 when thrown at during that span.

Without a ton of depth on the roster, Stevenson will be expected to start right away, and will have ample opportunity to maximize his skillset as a press man corner. Veteran Jaylon Johnson should be the number one corner, so Stevenson will be tested early, and will need to avoid the typical rookie stumbles to retain his starting spot throughout the season.

Bears 1st-rounder Darnell Wright starting at right tackle from Day 1 of OTAs

The Bears installed the No. 10 overall pick into the starting lineup right away, as they should

The Chicago Bears drafted Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright at No. 10 overall for good reason. Wright is already rolling with the starting lineup to start the OTA sessions for Chicago.

Wright was the Bears’ starting right tackle to kick off the offseason program. It’s not unexpected; Chicago’s offensive line was substandard in 2022 and Wright is coming off a fantastic final season for the Volunteers. Even so, it’s not uncommon for NFL teams to make rookies “earn” the spot over a returning veteran.

The Bears dispensed with that protocol, immediately inserting Wright into the lineup over Larry Borom, who started nine games at right tackle for Chicago in 2022. Good on coach Matt Eberflus for avoiding the charade.