Coaching, offensive line, rookie learning curve.
All are valid reasons that No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has not produced as expected. But Williams is also culpable, and he admitted as much at the podium this week. So, with that in mind, here are several items from Week 9 alone that Williams can correct in Week 10 and carry over into the weeks ahead as the Chicago Bears’ schedule toughens up.
Caleb Williams Can Key Bears’ Turnaround Starting in Week 10
Bears Need Caleb Williams to Take The Profit
Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron brushed off the idea that Williams would be better off looking for his check-downs rather than taking a risk on his first read. Still, the rookie has bypassed some apparent easy and obvious choices to “take a profit.”
Williams has generally done a fine job of avoiding negative plays outside of sacks (more on that in a bit).
But he could do himself and the Bears a favor.
Whether it is a matter of cycling through his progressions a tick faster or needing the experience to recognize looks presnap, Williams is leaving plays on the field often while trying to find a play downfield.
Here, he wants to hit Rome Odunze down the field. But his fellow rookie has three defenders around him whereas Keenan Allen (who is 6-foot-2) has an opening.
A pump fake to Odunze could have sent the lone defender near Allen down the field.
“You can never go broke taking a profit,” Bears wide receiver DJ Moore said in October, referring to advice from a former coach.
Williams had done that recently but has regressed since the bye.
In the play below, Williams scrambles away from pressure and finds Rome Odunze for a 17-yard gain. He also had Keenan Allen on a potentially easier throw without a defender coming back into the picture.
Granted, this play was successful. And throwing to Allen would have meant throwing more across his body – typically a no-no for QBs.
It could have also allowed Williams to take something off and Allen to work in green grass.
Caleb Williams Must Trust Himself on Deep Reads
That last play was more of an example of how Williams has made things more difficult for himself. However, it also highlighted why this point is critical for the young QB’s development at this level. Williams has a strong enough arm. He can make all the requisite throws and his passes appear very catchable.
That said, he does not have the arm strength to hesitate as he appears to do in this clip.
A point can be made against Allen being the one to run this route in the first place. He is typically a slot option and, despite being 6-foot-2, does not offer much jump-ball ability at this point in his career.
However, he was open.
Williams gets his eyes in Allen’s direction but seems to wait until the veteran gets open. Willams has to let it rip and give his guy a chance to adjust before the defender can react.
Without knowing what Williams’ progressions are on any play, it is reasonable to include the possibility that he simply had not gotten to Allen in his reads before he finally pulled the trigger on the throw.
But even in this deep pass to Odunze, Williams seems hesitant and late letting go.
Avoiding the pat – which could signal he moved from one read to the next – would have gotten the ball to Odunze sooner, allowing him to showcase his run-after-catch ability. It also would have mitigated the collapsing pocket.
As it happened, left tackle Larry Borom, who was filling in for Braxton Jones, was pushed into the QB as he released the ball.
Run When It Is There
Williams’ trust in his eyes extends beyond making throws he is capable of finding and completing within the offense.
It also means taking the found money, i.e. run when nothing else is there.
Williams is wired to keep his eyes downfield, hopeful that a target will break free. Far too often, though, that has resulted in errant, ill-advised, or even throws that never were because he takes a sack.
Here, Williams wisely refrains from putting the ball in harm’s way. But he fails to take the easy way out of it himself, with green grass to his right.
He has proven elusive enough to avoid the first defender.
Williams is not his predecessor, Justin Fields, as a runner. But the Bears’ current QB has averaged 5.8 yards per attempt and 4.5 yards before contact through nine weeks. Again, this is something that should become stronger with experience.
But he can make things easier for himself and the rest of the offense by drilling back down on those fundamentals, which he had shown promising growth in against lesser competition.
Insist on a Clearer Plan
The competition Williams thrived against matters. His best games have come against the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, a beat-up Los Angeles Rams squad, and the Indianapolis Colts who have since made a change at quarterback.
Carolina, Indy, and Jacksonville all rank in the bottom four in total yards allowed and the bottom six in passing yards surrendered this season.
Against stiffer defensive competition, Williams has expectedly struggled.
His three worst games have come against the Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders. Tennesee boasts the NFL’s top-ranked passing defense. Washington is eighth.
Arizona was the lone exception, ranking 26th in passing defense. But that is where our final key for Williams comes in. And it is something that he must do off the field, in the meeting room with his offensive coordinator. Williams must demand a clearer picture from the scheme.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky broke down how muddled the Bears’ offense has been.
These pass concepts don’t make sense
You can’t play QB in this or this way. You can’t operate as a pass game like this @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/A4InslreJ6
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 5, 2024
Even in Orlovsky’s breakdown, there appear to be opportunities for Williams to “take a profit” and keep the offense moving forward.
Getting him to marry these concepts consistently is where the Bears coaches must step up.