Matt Bowen of ESPN recently rated every player in the NFL and handed out superlatives for the best at specific positions for particular traits.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams won for a trait many know him for, but most Chicago Bears fans recognize is not his best. Williams was given the award for Most creative passer and off-platform passer.
"Williams brings a natural playmaking element when creating outside of structure as a runner and as a thrower. Plus, he has the arm strength to throw rockets on the move."Matt Bowen
Is Caleb Williams good at playing out of structure?
To be fair, it does not say the best off-platform passer, or the best at being creative, but rather just the most innovative. In that case, very few quarterbacks play out of structure and make off-platform plays as often as Williams.
The issue is that Williams is at his best when he plays within structure and the confines of the offense. Williams has eight touchdowns and zero interceptions when he throws the ball in under 2.5 seconds. That is before he goes into playmaker mode.
When throwing under 2.5 seconds, he is 11th in yards per attempt and 12th in passer rating out of 29 qualified passers. The issue is that he is the third-lowest in the rate of throws made in that time frame.
The top five players who throw over 2.5 seconds are Williams, Josh Allen, Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, and Justin Fields. If you are like Allen and Maye, it is not bad to extend the play, but if you are like Fields and Brissett, we have an issue.
Right now, Maye is second in yards per attempt and passer rating when holding the ball more than 2.5 seconds. Josh Allen is fifth and 12th in those areas.
Jacoby Brissett ranks 21st and 16th, respectively; Justin Fields ranks 27th and 18th, and Caleb Williams ranks 22nd and 24th. Williams is much more in the Fields and Brissett level when it comes to making plays out of structure, and not quite in the Allen and Maye tier.
It is nice that Williams can do it, but he is doing it far too much for how ineffective it is. Meanwhile, the more he acts like Tom Brady or any immobile quarterback, the better he plays.
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The award makes sense, but it is not the award Bears fans want Williams to win.