Adversity comes in unexpected forms during an NFL season, and when Caleb Williams’ rookie year is over and everyone involved has an opportunity to take inventory with a wide-lens view, how the No. 1 draft pick traversed the lows will be every bit as telling as the high points.
It has been arrow up for Williams the last two weeks, and while you can’t get carried away when the Chicago Bears (4-7) are mired in a five-game losing streak, this season was more about developing Williams and laying a foundation for the sustained success that has been so fleeting at Halas Hall than it was about immediately chasing a championship.
That doesn’t excuse in any way some of the clear problems that plague the roster, nor does it gloss over errors made along the way — especially during critical junctures in the last five weeks — as the Bears’ hopes of being relevant in the NFC North have been crushed. There will be reckoning for all of that in due time.
Ultimately if a team has the right quarterback with the right coaching, he can be an eraser, a player who finds ways to hide some of the rough edges on the roster or areas that might be depleted by injuries.
It didn’t garner a lot of attention the last two weeks as the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings on the final play, but the offensive line was serviceable. Williams was sacked three times in each game — the last one against the Vikings clearly his fault — after being sacked 15 times over the previous two games.
The Bears swapped out offensive coordinators, Thomas Brown focused the game plans on Williams getting the ball out quickly and utilizing the talent around him and — voila — things started to look how general manager Ryan Poles probably envisioned when constructing the roster in the spring.
Perfect? Far from it. But the Bears are starting to move the ball. They’re scoring more points and will be put to the test Thursday at Ford Field against the division-leading Detroit Lions (10-1).
“It’s a different challenge,” Williams said. “We look at those and we want to walk straight into those challenges because they only make us better.”
Williams has attempted 193 consecutive passes without an interception and was 32 of 47 for 340 yards with two touchdowns in the 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings. He has had two solid showings since the Bears were hammered in consecutive losses to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, which prompted some to wonder if he would benefit from some time on the sideline watching Tyson Bagent play.
As it turned out, what Williams needed was a coaching reboot on the fly, with Brown replacing Shane Waldron. Now his rookie season is back on track and he’s playing well like fellow first-round picks Jayden Daniels in Washington and Bo Nix in Denver.
“Time on task has been extremely important,” Williams said. “You can’t ever beat that. I think that has provided a sense of clarity, a sense of belief. In the valleys and in the peaks, you maintain and keep going.”
Daniels, who has been playing through a rib injury and doesn’t have nearly as much talent around him with the Commanders, has cooled off the last few weeks. Nix is heating up for the Broncos, coming off impressive showings against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons.
It’s possible more than two teams hit on a quarterback in this draft, but it’s too soon to make sweeping judgments. This is a multiyear marathon, not a sprint in the second half of rookie seasons.
“Caleb has played better the last two weeks,” said a personnel man who reviewed the Bears this week. “There’s no doubt Thomas Brown has brought some juice to that offense. You can see it. Wide receivers are happy. That’s a big part of it. You have to keep those guys happy. You’ve got to get them the ball. DJ Moore is playing with more energy. Keenan Allen looks younger. Cole Kmet is getting the ball in the passing game.
“He’s getting the ball out much faster. When he can get the ball out and his feet are set, he can just drive the ball. I think they’ve coached the hell out of him the last two weeks. He’s more decisive when to run and check down, and those plays matter.
“There haven’t been as many deep balls, more of a rhythm passing game, playing fast, let’s go. The screens they’re running have been more concise, a lot of them into the boundary, shorter throws. They don’t take as long to develop. Get the ball out of his hand.”
And when Williams is forced to play outside of structure — as he was in the first quarter against the Vikings when outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel came unblocked off the edge — he beat the defender in space and made the most difficult throw possible, launching a deep ball while his momentum was carrying him to the sideline.
And you thought Devin Hester was the only Bears player known for being “ridiculous.”
The Bears finally have started to get offensive production, and with six games remaining there’s time to build off that. Yes, they continue to fail in critical areas, and that’s why they are buried in the division and almost certain to finish last for the third straight year. There’s a lot that must be addressed.
But with an ascending rookie quarterback — if Williams continues to produce — the Bears at least will have hope at the position. That sure beats the alternative of spending an offseason studying how Hall of Fame quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman overcame the rockiest of rookie seasons to reach the pinnacle of professional football.
“No one can really tell you exactly how it’s going to be,” Aikman told Gene Wojciechowski, a former Tribune writer, for a 1990 story in the Los Angeles Times after his 0-11 rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. “It’s just something you have to learn by yourself.”
Williams has been learning and his adjustment — on the fly — to a new coordinator has been impressive. The sample size is small, but the results are encouraging.
In a season filled with a lot of disappointment, the Bears can maintain belief as they walk into a challenge against the NFC North foe they need to be measured against.
Scouting report
Jameson Williams, Lions wide receiver
Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts.
Williams, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, is in his third season in Detroit after the Lions chose him with the No. 12 pick out of Alabama in 2022. His rookie season was delayed as he recovered from a torn ACL, and then he served a four-game gambling suspension in 2023 followed by a two-game suspension this season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
While Amon-Ra St. Brown is the volume producer in the passing game, he’s dealing with a knee injury and that could lead to a larger role for Williams, who is No. 2 in the NFL with 20.8 yards per reception.
“His play style is a little unhinged at times and he reminds me a little of George Pickens that way,” the scout said. “There’s no question he is sudden, he is explosive and he is dynamic. If Jameson Williams played in an offense where he was getting the ball more regularly (he has 48 targets this season, 5.3 per game), we’d have a different viewpoint of him because he is a good route runner. He comes out of his cuts with a lot of speed. After the catch he’s electric in the open field, and we know he can get over the top.
“But like Sam LaPorta, Jameson is playing more of a defined role for the Lions because they can do so much and do it all so well. He catches a lot of the deep crossers and deep overs where he can separate and run after the catch. But when Ben Johnson wants a play to be made, Jared Goff is going to St. Brown. Williams still needs to develop and part of it is his own fault. He’s had disruptions created by himself and that doesn’t help. We just haven’t seen him in that consistent role where he’s the go-to guy in the offense, and he might not ever be that for the Lions.
“I don’t think they drafted him for that. I think they looked at their roster and said he was the element they were missing, the dynamic playmaker. He’s got a good frame. Good player and it’s worked out for Detroit when he’s on the field.”
