Getty Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Expectations are rising for the Chicago Bears and their passing offense after they traded for Keenan Allen and landed both Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze over the past six weeks of the 2024 offseason. One NFL executive believes that Allen might not be happy with the tendencies of his new starting quarterback, though.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently spoke with numerous NFL executives about their post-draft impressions of all 32 teams and relayed some interesting — and critical — perspectives shared about the Bears’ draft class. One of them specifically criticized Williams, believing his off-schedule playstyle could leave Allen “frustrated” in 2024.
“If you hold the football in college, you’re not all of a sudden learning how to get rid of it on time in the pros,” an anonymous executive told Sando for his May 2 article. “They are surrounding this quarterback with weapons, thinking that he can go through progressions and distribute the football on time, and that is not his game.
“You traded for a veteran receiver (Keenan Allen) who is used to catching passes from Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. He is going to be frustrated if his young quarterback does not operate on time.”
Caleb Williams Had NFL Draft’s Slowest Time to Throw
Williams’ ability to play on schedule is one of the leading knocks against him following his strong, Heisman Trophy-winning career at USC. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah even mentioned it in his final prospects rankings for the draft, warning that Williams will “need to play more on schedule at the next level” to be successful.
According to Pro Football Focus, Williams took 3.16 seconds to pass in 2023, giving him the slowest average time to throw on all dropbacks among the college quarterbacks coming into the NFL in 2024. Williams did improve from his Heisman-winning season in 2022 (3.30 seconds) and is throwing faster than former Bears starter Justin Fields (3.39 seconds did last season, but it could still be a cause for concern in Chicago.
That said, one of PFF’s own analysts, Trevor Sikkema, dismissed most of the concern about Williams’ longer-than-preferred time to throw as the fault of the Trojans.
Sikkema argued that USC’s offense broke down frequently, forcing Williams to hold onto the ball longer while trying to make plays. He also pointed out how the Trojans defense — which finished 116th in total yards allowed and 118th in points allowed in the FBS — put Williams in a position where he faced more pressure to score each play.
Without the breakdowns, Sikkema has Williams closer to 2.6 seconds to throw.
Another NFL Exec Also Criticized Rome Odunze Pick
The criticisms levied against the Bears in Sando’s article extended beyond Williams. He also quoted a different executive who felt the Bears made a mistake using their No. 9 pick to select Odunze. Instead, the unnamed executive would have recommended the Bears trade further back into the first round and find a playmaker on defense.
“I would have traded back,” the exec told Sando about the ninth pick. “The idea of taking the third-best receiver, unless he was rated as their top receiver, I don’t like that when I could trade back and get the best defensive player to fill a hole at three-technique or a hole opposite Montez Sweat. They could have a harder time than you think outscoring people unless Caleb Williams starts out really strong.”
While it is fair to wonder whether an impact defender might have made more sense for the Bears in the first round, the executive clearly has not listened to how the team has spoken about Odunze since his selection. General manager Ryan Poles confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show on May 1 that Odunze ranked “at the top” of the Bears’ list.
“There are certain guys you don’t pass up on and Rome’s one of them,” Poles said.
Odunze led the FBS with 1,640 receiving yards during his final season at Washington, wreaking havoc with his unique blend of size and speed. Odunze’s superb route-running could even help Williams with his aforementioned time-to-throw problem, providing him with a reliable target he knows will be in the right spot on anticipation throws.
Of course, the jury will remain out on both Williams and Odunze until they play actual snaps in the NFL, but the executives’ concerns seem to be much ado about nothing.
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