Caleb Williams debut on QB power rankings may surprise Bears fans

The term 'quarterback power rankings' and anything remotely related to such a topic usually doesn't flow synonymously with anything positive pertaining to the Chicago Bears.

Fans know the story well, by now. The Bears still haven't had a 4,000-yard passer in their rich history, nor have they had a quarterback pass for 30 touchdowns in a season. This is a quarterback-starved franchise that's been waiting for a franchise passer.

Enter: Caleb Williams.

It all changes from here on out. The Bears not only have a franchise quarterback, but a guy with aspirations to be one of the greatest to ever do it. So, without having taken a snap in the NFL, where should Williams find himself in any current quarterback rankings? It's only fair to start at the bottom, right?

Not so fast.

CBS Sports thinks pretty highly of Caleb Williams, and their latest QB rankings show exactly that

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently put out some post-draft quarterback rankings, and decided to put Williams no. 23 out of 32 starting quarterbacks, saying this about the Bears' rookie:

"Any and every rookie is a projection, even the No. 1 overall pick. But Williams actually has a quality supporting cast out of the gate, unlike Justin Fields before him. Savvy vets like D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen should help take some of the load off as he debuts his heralded arm."

This begs the question: who ranks below Williams? Well, for starters, let's just say this: Will Levis, Geno Smith, and Russell Wilson are all ahead of Williams, and that's likely to change. But, as for who is behind Williams?

Anthony Richardson, Derek Carr, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett, Bryce Young and Daniel Jones are the veterans behind Williams. Plus, the remaining rookies find themselves behind the no. 1 pick as well.

The fact Williams has yet to play a snap in the NFL and finds himself ahead of someone like Anthony Richardson is fairly impressive. Richardson looked like he was about to take off before his season-ending injury last year.

And, Carr? That's a guy who has routinely passed for over 4,000 yards, doing it four times in his career. For Williams to already be listed ahead of those guys is no small feat. Rookies should justifiably find themselves toward the tail end of rankings, but 23 is somewhat high for a guy who's never played a down.

Now, just wait until around Week 8 when Williams has cracked the top-15 and continues to rise. That'll be real fun.