After a bit of a slow start, Caleb Williams has finally arrived in the NFL. The first overall pick of 2024 is following the same path as the other quarterbacks in his class – even if there is still room for improvement.

With 8:46 left in the third quarter of the Chicago Bears’ home game against the Cleveland Browns, Caleb Williams gets the shotgun snap, rolls out to the right and throws a daring pass into the end zone. The ball sails past three diving defenders into the arms of D.J. Moore – touchdown Chicago.

“Other quarterbacks wouldn’t even think of attempting that throw,” head coach Ben Johnson raves about his quarterback. “99 percent couldn’t even make that pass.”

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Johnson isn’t sugarcoating anything to his still very young playmaker ahead of the NFC North duel against the Green Bay Packers (live ticker on Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2:20 a.m.), because he is indeed a very young playmaker. In fact, Williams had delivered one of his best games in this league. No mistakes, throws that leave you in awe, and mostly correct decisions. Against one of the best defenses in this league. Williams is finally on his way to finally arriving in the NFL.
Caleb Williams: Learning from the mistakes of his rookie season

Above all, because he has learned from the demonstrable mistakes of his rookie season. First and foremost, the many sacks were a problem. Admittedly, the offensive line was not exactly the Bears’ showpiece, but the USC graduate was brought down 68 times (!!!), by far the highest number in the league. In four games, he was sacked at least seven times each. That is unheard of.

However, in very few cases was this due to his five protectors. Most of the time, Williams held onto the ball too long, sometimes well over five seconds. No offensive lineman under the sun can (legally) hold off a pass rusher for that long.

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And this season? In 14 games, he has just 23 sacks, less than two per game. Of all quarterbacks who have played more than ten games for a team, that ranks fifth in the league. Williams makes faster decisions, better decisions. The fact that the Bears lost ten games in a row at one point in 2024 was also down to him. Not solely, but also.

Jayden, Bo, Drake – and now Caleb: The 2024 quarterback class delivers

It was a step forward, but one that was bound to happen. Not only because the 24-year-old, as the first pick in the 2024 draft, is under pressure from fans, the media and his own franchise. It was also because the other quarterbacks in his class had already proven their qualities at the highest level. In his rookie season, Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders’ second pick, was inimitably good. He broke records and led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. Bo Nix led his Denver Broncos to their first playoff appearance in nine years as a rookie.
Currently, Denver has the best chance of securing the 1 seed in the AFC, thanks in part to Nix. The third pick in the draft, Drake Maye, who was thrown into the fray as a rookie with the New England Patriots, has also delivered this season. As things stand, he is at least second in the NFL MVP race.

It was almost inevitable that Williams would have to catch up in terms of performance to avoid sparking a debate about whether the Bears had made a mistake in selecting him first overall. And anyone familiar with US sports talk shows knows that attempts have long been made to kick off this narrative.

Caleb Williams: Still room for improvement

However, the whole truth is that not all that glitters is gold. Yes, the Bears have won ten of their last twelve games – thanks in part to Williams.

But two statistics in particular stand out: the former USC Trojan completes only 58 percent of his passes.
His passer rating this season is 88.8. That puts him in 44th and 21st place in the league, respectively. As a reminder, there are only 32 teams and therefore starting quarterbacks in this league. Although Williams still needs to work on his passing accuracy, the timing and pocket awareness he has acquired do not appear on any statistics sheet. You have to see them with your own eyes. And you don’t have to be an expert to see the progress the Bears QB has made.

This is underscored by the fact that Williams’ stats improve enormously in the fourth quarter, with his passer rating rising from 88.8 overall to just under 120, leading his team to six game-winning drives.

Of course, the outstanding running game with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, as well as the outstanding play designer Johnson as head coach, help him – but other quarterbacks also have good coaches. Using that against him would make no sense.

The Bears are far from done when it comes to the playoffs. But they are well on their way. And then Caleb Williams can show what he’s made of in January.

And possibly turn the 2024 quarterback class from a good one to a historic one.