Bear Digest

Bears fans need to accept disrespect given to Caleb Williams

Analysis: Caleb Williams seems slighted by some rankings and postseason teams but the bottom line is he played like one of the league's worst QBs most of the season.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams might have had the fourth-best season of all rookie quarterbacks in 2024, and it's tough for Bears fans to accept.
Caleb Williams might have had the fourth-best season of all rookie quarterbacks in 2024, and it's tough for Bears fans to accept. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

A realization is beginning to hit home with many Bears fans as postseason teams and rankings begin to get posted.

It's difficult to face up to, but it's the truth.

Caleb Williams had a mediocre rookie year. They don't reward mediocrity.

Williams' name was left off of the Good Morning Football Fab 10 Rookies list by Peter Schrager. Maybe he can make the Kyle Brandt Fab 10 Rookies list.

It's not the end of the world. Peter Schrager's team is not exactly a prestigious award. Willams is not going to be on all-rookie teams, though, or shouldn't be.

Williams had a worse rookie season than Jayden Daniels, obviously. It was also worse than Bo Nix had and even Drake Maye to a large extent. Why should a top 10 list have four quarterbacks on it? It probably shouldn't have Maye on it, either, but definitely shouldn't include Williams.

Some numbers Williams had reflect a passer who came out unable or unprepared to compete against what defenses threw at him, then able later to pile up meaningless statistics while trying to rally from big deficits throwing underneath the coverage of prevent defenses.

Williams had a 72.8 passer rating when down one to eight points, a 72.8 passer rating when behind one to eight points and only a 67.0 passer rating in tied games. His passer rating soared to 88.5 when he was down nine to 16 points. These are all stats available on NFL.com.

None of the other rookie passers had statistics like this, although Bo Nix had only an 81.2 passer rating in tied games. He also had an 85.2 rating when behind, which was far better than Williams. Maye had a 95.5 passer rating in first quarters, far better than Williams.

It's easy to play the blame game and it's also true that the Bears weren't preparing Williams well.

In fact, this is the entire theme of the 2024 Bears season. They essentially wasted Williams' first year of development. This was the greatest fear of many Bears fans with this coaching staff of Matt Eberflus, and it was a fear that was realized. Williams got some good exposure to the NFL game but his development within an offense is shot now with the hiring of a new coaching staff.

Williams was ranked 29th by NFL.com among quarterbacks for a good reason. That's where his statistics put him. Pro Football Focus has him graded at 67.1, which was 33rd. There are 32 teams. Do the math.

ESPN has its contrived QBR statistic, something they made up because they didn't like the entirely objective passer rating which had been used since the 1970s known as a passer efficiency rating. Even with this contrived ESPN statistic, Williams was only 28th at 46.7.

Sure, he ranked fifth in Bears history in passing yards but all that says is how low the bar was set by past failed Bears quarterbacks.

He ranks near the bottom of all NFL quarterbacks in 2024 by most comparisons and most statistics even though he showed great improvement later in the year.

It might seem unfair because of the way the coaching situation went in Chicago, but all of these ratings and rankings and teams to honor players don't award points or special dispensation for hard-luck stories.

Williams simply will need to be better in Year 2 in a new offense, with a new coach because he wasn't good enough as a rookie.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published | Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.