While C.J. Stroud finished his rookie season with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions, should the Chicago Bears expect a similar season from Caleb Williams? Dan Orlovsky thinks people should pump the brakes on Caleb Williams entering his rookie season with the Bears.
Dan Orlovksy thinks Chicago Bears should limit expectations of Caleb Williams' rookie season
Orlovsky has one main reason to believe that Caleb Williams shouldn't expect to replicate C.J. Stroud's historic rookie season. His point is that Stroud has a stronger base level of intellect when it comes to Xs and Os of NFL offenses, saying Ryan Day's offense gave him a stronger understanding of pass-game concepts that he would eventually see in Bobby Slowik's offense with the Texans.
Orlovsky also mentioned how rare it was for Stroud to have the season he did. Only five quarterbacks, including Stroud, have thrown for over 4,000 yards in their rookie season, which is no small feat.
QBs to throw for over 4,000 yards in their rookie season |
|---|
2012 Andrew Luck (4,374) |
2020 Justin Herbert (4,336) |
2023 C.J. Stroud (4,198) |
2011 Cam Newton (4,051) |
2015 Jameis Winston (4,042) |
Coming into the league, C.J. Stroud didn't have a top-of-the-line group of weapons, nor was he on a team with major expectations. In 2022, the year before Stroud was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick, Houston was 3-13-1. That season, the Texans were fourth in the AFC South, scoring the second-fewest points (17) and the fifth-most points allowed (24.7) per game in the league.
However, what Orlovsky claims is that coming into an offense with weapons that turned out to be good enough in a system similar enough to the one he ran in college was more of the secret sauce than being a multi-faceted quarterback.
It's fair to say that being promoted to a job that fits the build of a prior internship is easier than going into a job that's run differently than experiences before but there's a piece to this puzzle that might overcome the differences in systems for Caleb Williams.
In his first season with the Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams enters an offense with Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, and Rome Odunze. Both Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore are coming into the 2024 season off the best seasons of their career, now paired with the No. 1 pick in the draft who's been touted as the best prospect since Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck.
Sure, the differences in Lincoln Riley's offense and Shane Waldron's offense are notable, but after Wiliams' board session with the Giants aired on Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants, his abilities within the Xs and Os of the game are clearly there.
you get ONE pass play
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 10, 2024
you have to run that ONE play EVERYTIME there is a pass play
so if there are 70 plays in a game, and 45 passes, you have to run this ONE play 45 times
know the play you want??? pic.twitter.com/2lLpYlXwi2
Not only is Caleb Williams entering one of the best landing spots for a rookie quarterback, but he's doing so while possessing true NFL-caliber talent. He has yet to take a snap in the NFL, so expectations should be pumped slightly, but the talent he wields, along with the weapons at his disposal, brings a level of expectation that should be met.
And while Dan Orlovsky doesn't fully believe that Williams will reach C.J. Stroud levels in his rookie season, there shouldn't be much surprise around the league if he does.