Colin Cowherd’s Caleb Williams Hype Is Big, but Bears Need More Proof

Colin Cowherd ranks Caleb Williams among the NFL's elite, but Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson know the Bears QB still has more to prove before earning that label.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Even the most optimistic Chicago Bears fan wouldn't tell you that quarterback Caleb Williams is elite.

Has Williams shown a ton of promise over two years in the league, and especially in 2025, when he proved he has ice water in his veins and led the Bears to a playoff win?

Absolutely, but saying Williams has cemented himself as an elite signal-caller and has justified the Bears using the No. 1 overall pick on him in 2024 is going to far at this moment.

But don't tell FS1's Colin Cowherd that. The talking head already has Williams ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL entering the 2026 campaign. Williams falls behind only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes on Cowherd's list.

"Do you know what his numbers are the first two years?" Cowherd asked in regard to Williams. "47 touchdowns, 13 picks, never hurt. Never hurt in high school, never hurt in college, never hurt in the pros. Got hit more than any quarterback in the league his rookie year. Not missing a snap. Unbelievably durable. Makes throws that only Josh Allen can make. He's No. 3."

Bears waiting for green light to extend Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

While we appreciate Cowherd being so high on Williams, he's still got something to prove, and even general manager Ryan Poles admitted as much.

Poles said the Bears would love to be in position to pay Williams a huge sum of money, because that would mean he has cemented himself as the team's franchise quarterback.

However, the Bears general manager says more is needed before the Bears can lock Williams down for the long haul.

"I hope eventually to have a quarterback situation, too, where we've got to pay a young quarterback," he said. "We're getting closer and closer to clarity on that side of things."

"I want to be clear: Anyone that's watched the league long enough knows that for quarterback play, it's consistency," Poles said. "Can you stack years on top of each other? We still have steps to go. I don't want to make it like he's already [there]. He knows he's got work to do."

"But if all of that falls into place, we have to understand how that changes our formula as we move forward. That's a great thing to be on that path. I feel like we have a long-term quarterback solution. It makes me excited," Poles added.

If Williams can take another step forward in 2026 and get the Bears back to the playoffs, the USC product will be a lock for a contract extension in the not-so-distant future.

Ben Johnson's point of emphasis for Williams

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

In terms of what Williams needs to improve this coming season, head coach Ben Johnson specifically pointed to his decision-making in terms of when to stay or leave the pocket.

"That's where Caleb comes in handy ... he can bail us out when we are wrong, which we're going to be wrong each and every game," Johnson said. "I'm going to mistime some calls, or they're going to throw something at us that we weren't prepared for. And that's on him and his athletic ability to bail us out."

"And so that's what I'm looking forward to, is we're going to be able to have those conversations in the quarterback room of when can we hang in there and get this ball out to the primary or the No. 2 receiver, and when do we need to extend, and naturally, I think we got to get better when we extend plays, capitalizing on those as well," Johnson added.

Williams still struggled in that area in 2025, but we fully believe he will improve in 2026 as the game continues to slow down for him.