Caleb Williams just had a three-game run that would make any Chicago Bears fan excited about what the future has to come. Rookie quarterbacks are not expected to come out strong, and when they do it can speak to a potential high ceiling. So, it is hard to be negative about that is coming from Williams.
Still, there are areas where he could improve, and if we do see improvement in this area, it could lead to serious success and a long career. For Williams, he has to start to improve under pressure.
Can Caleb Williams perform better under pressure?
His pressure-to-sack rate is 27.8%, per PFF. This cannot be passed off on the offensive line, because it is about how often he turns facing pressure into getting sacked. Williams ranks 32nd out of 35 qualified quarterbacks with 15 pass attempts.
Mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are in the 11% range. Joe Burrow, who is known for holding the ball too long is at 20%. Even Justin Fields is at 19%, and his career rate is 22.8%. It is not asking for a huge drop, but cutting his pressure-to-sack rate from 27.8% to 20.8% would do him a lot of favors.
More than that, he still has to improve as a passer when facing pressure. Among the same quarterbacks, he is 32nd in completion rate, 31st in yards per attempt, and 26th in passer rating under pressure.
It does not help that he is taking so many sacks under pressure, but even when he is not taking those sacks, he is not turning pressure plays into completions. It is asking a lot for him to jump in and be able to handle pressure with ease, but it is also worth tracking to see if he can improve in this area.