All offseason, everyone has been sharing their thoughts on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, but now members of the NFL are jumping in on the conversation.
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler finally got to the quarterbacks in his survey series where he talked to league executives, coaches, and scouts about who are the best players at each position. Williams found himself ranked 10th, with the highest individual ranking being sixth. The third-year quarterback received many compliments from league members.
"He's the most dynamic of the group," one GM said. "He's got the arm talent and overall athleticism suited for today's game."
"He's a closer," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "End of games, he has shown that."
Not everyone is completely sold on Caleb Williams, though
Even with the compliments, Williams faced some criticism that saw his ranking drop to barely making the top-10. One coach had some blunt thoughts on his play.
"Wildly erratic," a veteran NFL defensive coach said. "Doesn't always take the layups and still needs to mature into the position. [He] has some of those 'what is he doing?' plays. But he also makes plays only he and Mahomes can make. [He] can throw from any angle, deceptively fast when forced to scramble and he's got the 'it' factor in crunch time."
This has been a topic of discussion regarding Williams all offseason, with people concerned that he doesn't do the easy things with consistency. He even heard it from his quarterbacks coach, J.T. Barrett, who said he wanted to see Williams do the easy stuff more and not always play hero ball. Some people, like Mark Schlereth , have said that Williams is not a good quarterback because he doesn't play on schedule.
Williams' style of play, though, helped the Bears win many games in 2026. He led an NFL-record seven comebacks and game-winning drives in the regular season and postseason. This was big in multiple games where Williams made the most incredible throws seen all year, from his two touchdown passes in separate games to DJ Moore against the Green Bay Packers to the game-tying touchdown to Cole Kmet in the NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams.
Read more: Broken Bears starter feels more like collateral damage in 2026
Yes, there are things Williams needs to work on, such as his accuracy after completing just 58% of his passes last season and playing more consistently throughout games, but the upside potential is there for him to be elite. Entering Year 2 in Ben Johnson's offense, Williams can put it all together and show the league that he is elite.
Add us as a preferred source on Google