ESPN analyst takes potential outcome if Caleb Williams struggles to lame extent

Last year couldn't have been much worse for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, with two head coaches, three offensive coordinators and general dysfunction. Even with some ups and downs throughout training camp, things are looking up all the way around heading into his second season.

It comes with the territory of being a quarterback and a former No. 1 overall pick, but Williams' every move on or off the field will be scrutinized. Until he gets it done on the field, that scrutiny will go all the way to a level of nitpicking everything little thing about him. Some people may even say Tyson Bagent should start over him.

There is a scenario where Williams doesn't have the full-fledged breakout some people would like to envision this season. But that doesn't necessarily mean he won't take a huge positive step, and put his detractors in their place.

And if Williams does struggle this year, while it would be hugely disappointing, it won't be the death knell for his career just two years in.

Well, most people would say Year 2 struggles won't necessarily be any kind of declarative verdict on Williams' career.

ESPN analyst goes way too far with negative Caleb Williams scenario

On Monday's edition of ESPN's "First Take", the panel discussed what's on the line for Williams this season. NFL analyst Ryan Clark went all the way to a doomsday scenario.

"If Caleb Williams doesn't play well, he's gonna get the Anthony Richardson treatment", Clark said. "Next year, they're gonna bring someone in to compete with Caleb Williams for the starting job."

"When I listen to Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson doesn't sound like a patient man", Clark continued. "Ben Johnson sounds like a man who understands offense, who understands what good offense looks like, and who understands quarterback play."

Clark referred to the mulligan Williams deserves for last year under Matt Eberflus. Then he broke down some good plays from the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, then he lamented some bad plays from that game.

Clark finished his soliloquy about Williams where it started.

"So for Caleb, it's gonna be a situation where, if he doesn't play well, and Ben Johnson doesn't feel comfortable with his progression...they're gonna bring in a veteran, they're gonna bring in someone who can play under center, who can run play action pass, who can execute the run game to the pass game and make things look similar, the way we saw Jared Goff, next year. And if he doesn't win that competition, it's gonna be Caleb Williams having to go somewhere else to ply his trade. Which I believe he can be successful doing, because he's competitive, he's extremely intelligent, and he's also very talented."

Clark basically contradicted his entire point at the end. If Williams is "competitive", "extremely intelligent" and "very talented", then he can certainly work through the early kinks running Johnson's offense, come out on the other side and avoid following Anthony Richardson's career track.

Bears' analyst Clay Harbor used stats from last season to highlight how Williams and Richardson are not the same.

After Clark spoke, Stephen A. Smith echoed the sentiment that everyone else would have about using Williams' name in the same sentence as Richardson's. Fellow panelist Dan Orlovsky offered how the Bears will learn about Williams this year, good or bad, while citing what other quarterbacks did during their first year in similar offensive systems.

Read more: Rome Odunze points a (slight) finger at sources of Caleb Williams criticism

There's undoubtedly a chance things go badly for Williams this season, and as a result, the Bears will bring in a veteran next offseason to compete with him for the starting job. But mentioning Richardson's name in that vein was a real stretch by Clark, as confirmed by Smith's atypically calm response to take down the mention of the Colts' benched signal caller.