Caleb Williams has made progress in erasing the doubts and concerns he faced entering this season with the Chicago Bears. Many NFL analysts said Caleb was the quarterback with the most pressure in the league this season. Many were quick to label Caleb Williams as a bust. Some called him one of the bottom quarterbacks in his draft class after a tough rookie season.
Caleb has not been perfect. He has not even been the best quarterback in his draft class this season with the ascent of Drake Maye. Caleb still has delivered and improved drastically this year, however. Instead of being labeled a bust or a disappointment, he is now drawing comparisons to legendary quarterbacks.
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Mike Pendleton with Bears Wire noted Caleb Williams’ development and a specific analyst’s comparison of Caleb’s play this season in a recent article:
“One year later, Williams has been paired with head coach Ben Johnson and has taken a big step in his development as the franchise quarterback for Chicago. With Chicago now sitting in first place of the NFC North and in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference, Williams is starting to make a believer out of many. NFL on FOX analyst and Hall of Famer Howie Long has noticed some big growth in the Bears second-year quarterback, including his ability to escape out of pressure. He even went so far to compare him to two-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer John Elway.
“Usually you say with a quarterback, particularly a mobile quarterback, make him go to his left,” Long said on FOX’s NFL pre-game show. “He’s (Williams) as comfortable rolling to his left, flipping his hips. He’s for me, he’s John Elway from my generation. Now he (Elway) didn’t light it on fire initially and obviously he has a great career and he’s a Hall Of Famer. I think he (Ben Johnson) challenged him (Williams). I think a lot of times the more talented guys are the guys that work less on the details. Caleb is starting to buy in. (Johnson) challenged the team, but he also challenged the quarterback.”
The challenges have been heard and answered by not only Williams but the Bears as a whole so far this season. In Friday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams went 17-36, for 154 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but made several big plays for the offense when they needed it. He’s got a long way to go before he can come close to the success of Elway, but showing the traits of a Super Bowl champion can only bring more optimism on the future of Williams.”
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Regardless of the numbers not looking pretty and the accuracy still being an issue, Caleb has shown he can be the franchise quarterback for the Bears and is a star in the making. If Caleb Williams can hone in on the details and continue building with Ben Johnson, the sky is the limit for what he can be.
It says a lot about where this team is heading with Caleb as the franchise quarterback. The Bears are consistently winning even while Caleb is still growing into his role. John Elway is arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and is the record holder for many impressive stats at the quarterback position. Elway led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl victories and five Super Bowl appearances.
If Caleb can be just a fraction of that, he would be the best Bears quarterback in franchise history. With what we have seen from him and Ben Johnson in just one year, his number could be in the rafters in Chicago when it is all said and done.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Caleb Williams’ play has shades of John Elway, says NFL analyst
