Biggest overreactions to Caleb Williams' preseason debut

Okay, okay, okay ... calling Caleb Williams a future Hall of Fame quarterback after just one preseason game is a little premature. But, Chicago Bears fans can't help themselves. They're not used to seeing such a display of talent at the position.

It's just preseason, so we all need to remember that Williams was going up against a vanilla defense that wasn't going to show a whole lot of their cards. Yet, Williams showed some things that still mattered.

Watching a quarterback stand in the pocket and deliver strikes is one of the most thrilling feelings for a football fan. Watching a rookie quarterback do it? That's on another level.

Williams was able to evade pressure, maneuver within the pocket, see the field well while checking through each read on key plays, keep defenders honest with subtle movements in his hips and shoulders, and in the end, make some purely beautiful throws.

So, is Williams a future Hall of Famer? Of course it's years too early for that conversation. But, let's overreact a bit more and try to figure out whether there's merit to some of the feelings coming from Bears fans and media.

Deciding between overreaction or truth after Caleb Williams' first preseason game

Caleb Williams makes Bears fans feel silly for ever believing in past quarterbacks

It's not that players like Mitchell Trubisky or Justin Fields weren't NFL-caliber players. It's the fact that those two weren't franchise quarterbacks. That's the point, here.

Seeing Williams make the throws, play with the poise, pocket awareness and mannerisms displayed in only one start was enough to solidify the narrative that he is unlike the ones who came before him. Trubisky couldn't read the field as quickly or go through his progressions like Williams. Fields was too quick to escape the pocket and not nearly as decisive with his throws.

Williams is already showing glimpses of what the great ones do. He looked the part.

Verdict: Truth

Caleb Williams is going to do what no other Bears quarterback has done

No Bears quarterback has ever thrown for 4,000 yards or tossed 30 touchdowns in a single season. This isn't news. It's a well-known, disgusting and depressing fact of life.

Going off of the above points and seeing Williams already looking like a seasoned-veteran, those numbers will undoubtedly be broken. It's abundantly clear he has the keys to this team, and the coaching staff is going to allow him to be unleashed. After all, what other rookie quarterback would be given the green light to go after a 3rd-and-12, in a preseason game, like Williams was?

The belief is there. The support is there. Williams is going to shatter Bears records.

Verdict: Truth

Caleb Williams will prove Bears made most lopsided trade in league history

The Dallas Cowboys arguably own the title for this one, after the infamous Herschel Walker trade with Minnesota that led to a dynasty. Minnesota ultimately traded picks that gave Dallas both Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, among others, which helped the Cowboys go on to win three Super Bowls in the 90's.

The Bears dealt Carolina the no. 1 overall pick in 2023 and ended up with Caleb Williams, Darnell Wright, D.J. Moore, Tyrique Stevenson and a second-round pick in 2025. Williams' play, alone, may end up making this one of the more lopsided trades in league history.

Factor in a receiver who just had a career year, earned an extension to hang around for another six years, and the other starters had in this deal, and sure enough, this trade might very well usurp the Herschel Walker deal.

Verdict: Jury is still out, but could be truth