Entering his second NFL season, Caleb Williams has seen the Chicago Bears beef up his offensive line via free agency and trades. The additions were necessary after Williams absorbed a historic number of sacks as a rookie.
However, with the skill positions already dotted with Pro-Bowl caliber players, and an equally talented defense, the onus is on Williams now more than ever to deliver on his promise as a former No. 1 overall pick. Bears passing game coordinator Press Taylor is well-versed in Williams’ position.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Faces ‘Certain Expectation Level’
Press Taylor Familiar Bears QB Caleb Williams’ Plight
Taylor spent the past three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, working with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence (2021). He spent his first season as an NFL coach around Michael Vick (2001).
Sam Bradford, the No. 1 pick in 2010, was with Taylor in 2015. Carson Wentz (2017) and other first-rounders have been mixed in along the way.
Taylor said the players would have to give their own accounts but acknowledged the scrutiny.
“I mean you’d have to ask them directly. But, obviously, there’s a certain expectation level that comes with being a highly-picked quarterback; first overall. And not just them. I’ve been around those two guys, obviously. Sam Bradford. Mac Jones, first-round pick (2021). I was trying to think the other day of just how many different starting quarterbacks I’ve been a part of, and I think this is my 13th year in the NFL,” Taylor told Clocker Sports last Thursday.
“I’ve seen a lot of different guys do it a lot of different ways. And I think that’s the beauty of the NFL, is there’s not just one way to do it. Not one way to coach, not one way to play the position, not one way to win a game. And so the more adaptable you are as a coach, player, team, offense, the better chance you have.”
“With that said, I think you want to establish a certain identity and the way you go about your business from, again, all aspects of it. Coaching, playing as a unit, all that,” the coach told Clocker Sports.
“Having that adaptability, that versatility, and then just being able to work with people, I think that’s a big part of it all.”
Williams set several franchise and NFL rookie records last season, and he flashed the talent that made the Bears deem him worthy of the No. 1 pick. The trick for Taylor and new head coach Ben Johnson is consistently coaxing that level of play out of Williams.
Press Taylor Reflects on Coaching Journey
Long before he joined Williams and the Bears, Taylor began his coaching career in 2011 at Tulsa, and he played quarterback at Marshall after transferring in from Butler Community College in 2009. He helped coach the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2017.
With such an extensive journey, Taylor could not narrow down his greatest area of growth as a coach.
Instead, he chooses to view it all as part of the tapestry.
“I don’t know if I could exactly say, ‘This is what it is.’ Anytime I’ve got three more years of experience under my belt and been through a number of different situations [is beneficial], Taylor said.
“With the 17 regular season games, and then the preseason games, you’re getting 20 more games at least every season. So just adding that to your repertoire, whether that comes to football situations, whether that comes to interacting with 150, 200 different players throughout the course of it, and working to reach them in any way possible, but meet them where they need to be met. I think all of that just adds to your experience level.”
Taylor now finds himself as arguably the most experienced person in the room when it comes to rearing young QBs – and former No. 1 picks, at that – in the Bears’ facilities.
He will not go it alone.
In addition to Johnson and Taylor, Williams has QB coach J.T. Barrett, a willing bridge between the coaches and players, and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who witnessed how Sean Payton reared Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix in 2024, to lean on next season.
There is also veteran backup Case Keenum. All of this adds up to what appears to be a strong infrastructure around Williams on paper.