The success of Jayden Daniels last season with the Washington Commanders seems to have dramatically changed how Caleb Williams is viewed across the NFL.
A couple of things need to be considered when talking about where Williams stands as he enters his second season. The first is that Williams did not have a bad rookie season with the Bears last season.
If nothing else, if Bears were told that Williams threw for over 3,500 yards in his rookie season with 20 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions, they would take that with the belief that he was only going to get better. What should make Bears fans even more excited is that despite being sacked 68 times and having a negligent coaching staff, Williams still posted those numbers.
Now, add in the fact that Williams now has a head coach in Ben Johnson who is committed to his development, and an offensive line that is considered to be the most improved unit in the NFL. Despite all that went wrong for Williams last season, the arrow is still pointing up.
Caleb Williams snubbed in the most annoying was possible
That is why it seems like a blatant miss that Pro Football Focus did not list Williams among the top players entering the 2025 season who are under 25 years old. The only quarterbacks who do get a mention were the aforementioned Daniels and C.J. Stroud. Rome Odunze, 22, was also not among the players listed.
There is no question that the enormously high expectations that Williams had entering the NFL were not met during his first season with the Bears. In that sense, sure, Williams' rookie season can be viewed as a failure. However, that isn't really doing justice to the high-ceiling Williams showed at times during the season. Johnson's arrival should help stabilize the lows for Williams and make sure that the floor is much higher than the base-level production we saw at times during the 2024 season. Williams will be 24 next offseason, so if all goes well, we will be on PFF's list next year.