There’s a lot of hype surrounding Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as he heads into Year 2 under Ben Johnson.
“Chicago appears to have found its franchise quarterback in Williams,” Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports wrote. “Chicago may also have its longterm coach in Johnson, who led the Bears to a surprising division title and a playoff win during his first season in the Windy City. Williams is coming off a breakout 2025 season that saw him orchestrate several game-winning drives that included throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in the Bears’ wild-card playoff win over the Packers.”
Williams, 24, is taking all the ups and downs from the 2025 season and making sure he continues to trend upward in his third season in the NFL.
“You see what championship level is, you see what you need to do to be at the position that you want to be at the end of the year,” Williams said. “You see what you have to do, you figure it out and when you get knocked down, you get back up. That’s what we’re going to do. That’s my mindsest.”
After such a strong showing in 2025, NFL analyst Chris Canty sent a strong message on Williams heading into next season.
Bears Receive Strong Take on Caleb Williams Before Season
According to Canty, he believes Williams has shown over the past two seasons that he’s the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFC.
“More than Matthew Stafford?” Canty was asked after making that bold statement.
“Yes,” he replied. “I don’t even think Sean McVay would argue that. The most physically gifted quarterback in his conference.”
Williams has all the physical attributes and has shown to be the most physically gifted QB at times, but he’ll need to be more consistent if the Bears want to make the Super Bowl.
He’s able to get out of sacks, make those wow throws, and clutch up when it matters most, but Williams’ 58.1% completion rate in 2025 is concerning.
How much of that you want to put on the receivers is up for personal opinion, but regardless, there’s still a lot of work for the young QB to do.
Packers, Vikings, and Lions All Focused Drafting on Defense to Stop Williams
According to NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions “all targeted defensive players heavily in the draft,” in hopes of stopping Williams and the Bears’ high-powered offense.
“I’m telling you, Caleb Williams and this offense, this league is forecasting something is coming,” Dales said. “Year two with Ben, you’re gonna see Caleb do things that we didn’t even come close to scratching the surface. … Caleb Williams is gonna come out and light this thing up.”
It’s true. The Lions drafted five defensive players compared to two offensive players; the Packers drafted four defensive players compared to one center and a kicker, and the Vikings drafted five defensive players compared to four offensive players (three of their top selections were all on defense).
Chicago, on the other hand, surprised a lot of fans by continuing to load up on offense, with three of their top four selections being offensive players (C Logan Jones, TE Sam Roush, and WR Zavion Thomas).
The NFC North teams know Williams is special; Chicago knows Williams is special. Now it’s up to him to continue improving his game and take the Bears to new heights.
Bears Receive Strong Take on Caleb Williams Before NFL Season