People seem to be divided on whether Caleb Williams can be the legitimate franchise quarterback the Chicago Bears have been searching for. They haven’t had such a player since Sid Luckman in the 1940s, and it almost feels like there is something in the Chicago water supply that kills a young signal-caller’s potential.
But on Sunday, he looked solid in his 2025 preseason debut. He completed six of his 10 pass attempts and ended up with 107 passing yards, one touchdown pass, no interceptions and a 130 passer rating. With his help, the Bears defeated the Buffalo Bills, 38-0.
Granted, it was an exhibition game, which means that it didn’t prove a whole lot. But it may have been a small piece of proof that Williams can meet a good amount of the hype that has surrounded him ever since he was a star QB at the University of Southern California two or three years ago.
Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears participates in warmups prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Bet $5 on Bears-Texans after activating the… Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears participates in warmups prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Bet $5 on Bears-Texans after activating the latest FanDuel promo code offer and get $200 in bonus bets, win or lose. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Chicago has a new head coach in Ben Johnson, who spent the last three years as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Williams admitted that Johnson is “tough” and “hard” on him, but that he likes it that way.
“He’s been tough on me,” Williams said Sunday during ESPN’s SportsCenter. “He’s been hard on me, and it’s been great. Getting coached like that and being pushed, the whole team seeing me being pushed like that. He set the standard. It’s our job to level out and be at that standard.”
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Johnson was a big reason the Lions went from a laughingstock to a frontrunning Super Bowl contender over the last few years. He had a hand in Lions quarterback Jared Goff raising his level of play, and long-suffering Chicago sports fans are hoping he will do something similar with Williams.
The narrative surrounding Williams is that he is excellent when ad-libbing but rather ordinary in the pocket. In an attempt to maximize his positives, the Bears weren’t exactly shy about upgrading their roster this offseason.
They remodeled their anemic offensive line by adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson. They have two excellent wide receivers in second-year man Rome Odunze and young veteran D.J. Moore, and while running back D’Andre Swift isn’t exactly the second-coming of Walter Payton, he did make the Pro Bowl just two years ago and posted 959 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns and 42 catches for 386 receiving yards last year.
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The Bears could very well miss the playoffs again, just as they did in each of the last four seasons. But with the additions they made, and with Williams now able to say he’s not a rookie any longer, it seems unlikely they will have the type of prolonged ineptitude they suffered through in 2024 when they went on a 10-game losing streak.
At the very least, they could be poised for some tangible improvement this year.
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