Caleb Williams' ascension is unlike anything Chicago Bears fans have seen before

The Chicago Bears have an offense. And it's thanks to the ball handler. Another coworker and I were very down on Caleb Williams before the 2024 NFL draft. Let me rephrase that: we had other likes over Williams for the Chicago Bears to select in the 2024 NFL draft. It wasn't that Williams wasn't exciting. The ability to extend the play and turn nothing into something was amazing. The biggest issue we both saw was that it was all the time. To play quarterback in the NFL, ideally, you need to read the defense pre and post-snap and then execute the play to the best of your ability.

There was very little film of Williams doing that during his 2023 college campaign. Many people said you need to watch a tape of Williams from his Heisman trophy season and his Oklahoma days. Honestly, there wasn't much difference in play style. The biggest difference would be that the offense worked. There were still a lot of off-script plays that worked out in Williams's favor. The thing that was hard to figure out was Williams's drive to become great and his football intelligence.

Unlike most rookie first-round picks who claim they want to be great, Caleb Williams stands out. His dedication and work ethic go beyond the norm. While Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields were known for their intense workouts, Williams's approach is different. Whether it's luck, Matt Eberflus's training methods, or something else, Williams's commitment to excellence is undeniable.

Not only does this kid process the field very well for a rookie quarterback, but he identifies different play adjustments, much like Peyton Manning. I am not calling him Manning. Williams has a long way to go, but it is impressive. Packer fans will say it's because of the easy teams, but because of the easy teams is what is allowing Williams to grow. Good defenses don't give you tells or an inch to figure out what decision is the correct one. How are you supposed to learn in that environment?

The bad defenses that Williams has played will go a long way in helping him figure out what to do and when to do it. His ability to have feel mixed with his intelligence will go a lot further than his raw throwing ability. Those are just bonuses. That's why the bad defenses have been great for his development. After all, he could have looked like Turbisky or Fields vs bad defenses. No slights to them, but one tossed a lot of touchdowns from some luck (and force), and the other destroyed them with his feet. Williams is doing it with his brain.

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