The absolute last thing you probably need today is another person in your ear whispering more doubts about Caleb Williams. Whether you're already out on Williams or not, it's hard to look around the internet and find anything but mild panic about the state of the Bears' QB situation.
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Some of that is just how it works in Chicago – every QB will get bailed on earlier than they deserve, because [gestures to last 50 years of Bears football]. But there's no denying that Williams' rookie season was tough, so it's not totally surprising to see the reactionary conversation already wade into 'now or never' territory.
And ESPN, to their credit, didn't take the bait. At least, not fully. In their latest list of QB Questions facing every NFL team this season, the worldwide leader tried their best (thanks!) to squash some of the panic, to ... mixed? ... results.
ESPN's attempt to find the silver linings to Caleb Williams' Bears career is so depressing
"Is it already now or never for Caleb Williams? Well, no. Williams was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and has two more fully guaranteed years (plus an option season) on his contract after this one. Even if this year is a disappointment, Williams is likely to get more chances.
But it's also fair to say the honeymoon period was very short and is officially over. Once it came out publicly that he didn't want to play for the Bears at the start of the draft process, it was clear that the fan base won't stay patient with him if he doesn't seem to be getting it. A seemingly loaded offense with an improved offensive line under new coach Ben Johnson means Williams should have more than enough around him to succeed sooner rather than later."
Considering what other people/outlets are writing about Williams, this feels pretty mild. I'm not sure how fair it is that the honeymoon period has been declared over because of the timing on a quote from a book that hasn't even been published yet, but that's a blog for another day. This is the type of scrutiny that every QB faces, and even moreso in Chicago. Maybe we all just focus on the last sentence, entirely out of context. When you frame it that way, it's almost not a huge bummer!