The start of Caleb Williams’ career with the Chicago Bears is reminiscent of Tua Tagovailoa’s with the Miami Dolphins. That might elicit various emotions from fans, but it is also the opinion of someone who would know. That is Bears tight end Durham Smythe, a fourth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2018, who signed with the Bears this offseason.
His career arc has allowed him to catch both Williams and Tagovailoa early in theirs.
Bears TE Durham Smythe Gets Honest About QB Caleb Williams
Bears’ Caleb Williams Shares ‘a Lot of Similiarities’ to Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa
There are some key differences between Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall selection in 2020, and Williams, whom the Bears drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2024. But both players are polarizing, and they have elicited such reactions from fans and detractors.
Smythe was two years into his career when Tagovailoa arrived. Williams is in Year 2 upon his arrival in Chicago.
The noise around both QBs at that stage has been strikingly similar, Smythe explained.
“Honestly, I kind of see a lot of similarities between early in Tua’s career and kind of where Caleb is right now. Two very talented guys. Two very talented quarterbacks, who are learning their way in the league, but the sky’s the limit,” Smythe told Clocker Sports on Friday when asked directly.
“Obviously, in Miami, Tua had a period of success and got paid for it, and is doing a very good job, regardless of their record this year. And I think Caleb’s ceiling is even higher. So, I think there’s a lot of similarities between the way they’re kind of looked at early in their careers, and I think they can both be very good.”
Tagovailoa bested Williams in some key metrics to begin his career, most notably, he was more accurate and had a better record.
The latter was also a function of what is/was around them.
Still, Tagovailoa did earn Pro Bowl honors in 2023, signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024, and he has largely had his star dimmed by injury concerns and the failings around him this season.
To that end, the Bears need to get more from those around Williams in addition to the QB picking his game up to get their first win of the 2025 season.
Bears Boast Strong TE Depth
Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have headlined the conversation around the Bears’ tight end room, but Smythe is another big-bodied, versatile player in a group of them.
“I have had a lot of roles in my years in the NFL. Some of it’s heavy blocking, some of it’s a little bit of both, and every team’s different. So, you try to kind of adapt to what they ask you to do, and that’s kind of how you survive in this league,” Smythe told Clocker Sports.
“You get a role and you try to do your best at it. There’s some really talented players in this room. One of the most talented tight end rooms, top to bottom, I’ve been in in my whole career. So, I think everyone embraces the roles that they’re given, and I really enjoy being around the guys.”
That, obviously, includes Loveland, who has impressed Smythe with his maturity.
“He’s a great kid. It’s funny; when he came in, I didn’t realize he was 21 years old, and you wouldn’t realize that. He’s really mature for that age. He does a great job of asking questions to the older guys in the room, and, obviously, a very talented player,” Smith told Clocker Sports.
“As I mentioned for Caleb, the sky’s the limit in terms of potential, same goes for Colston. Really talented players.”
That is encouraging for Bears fans, who are anxious to see the roster’s talent lead to wins.