Caleb Williams put his ability to wow on display for the Chicago Bears time and again this past season, but there is another level for the former No. 1 overall pick to reach.
Year 1 under head coach Ben Johnson made a world of difference for Williams.
To make a similar leap this coming season, the onus is back on the QB to deliver in a way that many believe he can, but that he also has yet to show for the Bears consistently through two NFL campaigns.
Former Executive Sends Clear Message on Bears’ Caleb Williams
Bears Need Caleb Williams to Take Next Step
Despite his highlight-worthy play and the Bears’ 11-6 record, Williams finished the regular season with the fifth-worst completion percentage among qualifying passers.
Only one other QB among that group started double-digit games and was worse. That was J.J. McCarthy, whom the Minnesota Vikings traded up from No. 11 to No. 10 to select in 2024 but now faces questions about his future heading into the 2026 offseason.
ESPN’s Louis Riddick put the situation in no uncertain terms for Williams and the Bears.
“I think the jump that they’re expecting him to make is the efficiency and the consistency by which he plays. You cannot be last in the NFL In completion percentage, you cannot be a sub-60% thrower–you cannot be last in the NFL and CPOE, completion percentage above expected, meaning you’re missing throws that are wide open there for you to make–and then, make [highlight-reel] plays,” Riddick said on “NFL Live” on February 18.
“Obviously, these kind of plays … are incredible. But in order to really make a jump, and be put into the top 10, into an elite category–and he was, what, 16th in QBR this year. So right … at the halfway point. In order to do that, he just has to be more efficient. Make the throws that are there to be made. Make the routine plays routinely, as Mike Tomlin likes to say.”
Riddick, a former player and NFL executive, said that if Williams can do that, and “sprinkle in those exceptional plays,” then he and the Bears will get “elite quarterback play.”
Caleb Williams Owns Up to Accuracy Woes
Williams posted the fourth-worst marks in percentage of on-target and bad throws this past season, per Pro Football Reference, but he did not duck culpability.
Instead, Williams noted his accuracy when asked how he builds off this season moving forward.
“Got to go and watch some film and talk to Coach. And then from there, it’s just work on accuracy, work on my feet in the offseason,” Williams told Clocker Sports in January. “Get with the receivers and work with them and things like that throughout the offseason, so that we’re on the same page. We’re starting off hot for training camp, OTAs, and then going into next season.”
