The buzz around Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is for real, as fans in the Windy City are ready for a breakout 2026 season unlike any they have seen.
Williams has been featured in many offseason articles as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and was recently named the Madden 27 cover athlete. ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano has a question about Williams that he hopes to get answered: Can Caleb Williams improve in the boring parts of the game?
"What we remember about Williams' second season are the wow throws. The fourth-quarter and overtime heroics. The fact that the Bears, like the Panthers, made the Rams work extremely hard to win a playoff game. What we might not remember is that Williams finished 32nd in the NFL in completion percentage (behind Cam Ward and ahead of only J.J. McCarthy) and 32nd in off-target rate (behind McCarthy and ahead of only Penix). So, there's still room for him to improve in spite of how awesome he was to watch in those big spots last season.
It will be Williams' second season with Ben Johnson as his coach, and the first season offered promise of wonderful things to come. What could determine Williams' (and Johnson's) long-term success is how Williams improves in the more basic parts of the game (i.e., accuracy). If that happens, the Bears won't need quite as many of those fourth-quarter hero throws."
Can Caleb Williams do the small things to become an elite NFL QB?
There's no question that when fans watch Williams sling the ball around, the athleticism and arm talent are there. Some of the throws he was making throughout last season were ones that every quarterback except maybe Patrick Mahomes can make.
The problem with Williams that is making experts hesitant to rank him among the top five quarterbacks is his accuracy issues. He went from 62% in 2024 to 58% in 2025, which is surprising since Williams was better in pretty much every other statistical category last year than in his rookie season.
Last year, Johnson chalked it up to Williams learning the new system and needing time to get comfortable in it. Entering his second season in the scheme, the excuses are no longer there for Williams, as he must take a massive leap and be more accurate.
Things should be better, though, as OTAs have already shown over the last two weeks that not only is Williams getting more accurate with the football, but he is also making some crazy throws to his receivers again. The rhythm is already there for Williams, and they are not even at training camp.
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Ultimately, Williams will have to prove he's the real deal in Week 1 of the 2026 season, but Bears fans believe he is already at the top of his game and is about to have a season to remember in Chicago for years to come.
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