NFL expert isn't buying into the Caleb Williams hype

The Chicago Bears have been heading in a completely new and exciting direction for several months, now, thanks to the arrival of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

That's not to undersell the masterful job done by general manager Ryan Poles everywhere else within this roster, but we know the Bears are going to go as far as Williams takes them. And, judging by the first couple of preseason performances, Chicago has a magician under center.

In a recent piece done over at CBS Sports, NFL columnist Will Brinson predicted the records for every team in the upcoming season. When he got to the Bears, Brinson projected a whopping ... eight wins.

"The annual hype surrounding the Bears is building to its normal outrageous levels, but -- insert Tobias Fünke meme here -- maybe this is actually the year when we should be buying in," Brinson wrote.

Brinson goes on to say Williams has massive upside, and ends his Bears segment with the words: "I might be underselling them here. They definitely qualify as a sleeper playoff team in the NFC."

Clearly, though, Brinson doesn't have the guts to predict Chicago ending the season with more than eight wins, as he projects the Bears to go 8-9 on the year.

Because of his underwhelming record prediction, it doesn't seem Brinson is bought into the Williams hype. We know this roster is as well-rounded as it's been in years, and it all hinges on the play of the rookie under center. Those buying into the hype would absolutely put the Bears over eight wins, but Brinson isn't one of them.

The NFL wants Caleb Williams to succeed as soon as possible

It is true, no rookie quarterback has ever been set up for success like Williams in Chicago. The stars aligned for the Bears when they made that trade with Carolina last offseason, and somehow, the franchise lucked out in getting the no. 1 pick yet again.

Now, with Williams surrounded by so much talent, the NFL knew exactly what to do. They gave the Bears a very, very feasible first-half schedule.

In fact, Chicago doesn't even play a divisional game until Week 11 vs. Green Bay.

The first 10 weeks of the season look like this:

Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 2: @ Houston Texans
Week 3: @ Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: @ Washington Commanders
Week 9: @ Arizona Cardinals
Week 10: vs. New England Patriots

Going off of 2023 finishes, the Bears don't face a single top-10 defense over the first 10 weeks of the season, and they'll take on only two top-15 defenses in that span (Houston and New England).

It is abundantly clear that Williams is one of the faces of the NFL, now, and the league wants him to succeed. What a world we're living in.

If all goes relatively according to the plan, folks like Brinson will be wishing they had hopped on the bandwagon much sooner.