As a symbol of the coaching upheaval that was around him, Caleb Williams had an up-and-down rookie season in 2024. Seven games with multiple passing touchdown (four of them with over 300 yards) were offset by seven games where he did not get to 160 yards through the air.
The Chicago Bears had an easy offseason agenda. Do everything possible to get Williams on track, and foster his development into a franchise quarterback. To their credit they pulled no punches to get that done, from hiring Ben Johnson as head coach, to refurbishing the offensive line to adding a couple more pieces of skill position talent in the draft.
Williams is being set up to succeed, and he is clearly welcoming the changes after the chaos of his rookie season.
One of the biggest issues for Williams last season, as is common for rookie quarterbacks, was pocket awareness and avoiding pressure. He took a league-high 68 sacks last season, despite the Bears being collectively graded by Pro Football Focus as the eighth-best pass blocking offensive line in the league.
If Williams wasn't as mobile as he is, he may have set the new league record for sacks taken in a season by some margin (currently 76, set by David Carr in 2002).
So as much as the Bears needed to upgrade their offensive line, Williams has a major area for growth too.
Analyst reveals huge key for Caleb Williams in 2025 (and beyond)
In PFF's 2025 fantasy football profile on Williams, analyst Nathan Jahnke of course devoted significant space how the Bears have remodeled their offensive line.
"The Bears similarly completely reworked the offensive line, but they worked it to primarily help the run game rather than the pass game. They were a top-eight team in pass-blocking grade last season. Tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright were notable standouts, as both players improved in 2024 compared to past seasons. Joe Thuney is an excellent pass protector and an upgrade, but Matt Pryor and Teven Jenkins were both solid pass protectors last season. The team also traded for Jonah Jackson, who has several years of experience playing for Ben Johnson but has always been a better run blocker and is a step down for the other guard spot. At center, the Drew Dalman addition is similarly a step up for the run game and a step back in pass protection."
"This should all result in the line being worse in pass protection this season. Williams was sacked on 10% of his dropbacks last season, which says more about Williams than it does about the line."
PFF grades, while a valuable evaluation tool overall, should not be taken as the complete gospel. That said, even if the Bears' interior offensive lineman might be worse in pass protection overall this year, Jahnke nailed Williams' share of the equation when it comes to taking fewer sacks this year (and going forward).
"However, this year, Williams will see more pressure, making it more vital that he learns how to better avoid sacks this season."
A year of experience should naturally help Williams in every area as he looks to take a big step in Year 2. The number of sacks he takes this season, with the percentage of his dropbacks he is sacked on as an important metric, will provide strong evidence of his progress.