The one area that Caleb Williams must improve during his rookie season

Circling back to before the Chicago Bears officially made the decision to move on from Justin Fields in favor of Caleb Williams, Matt Eberflus seemingly tipped the team's hand when speaking with reporters about what he is looking for out of the quarterback position.

While speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, Eberflus mentioned one of the key components he looks for out of a quarterback is to minimize turnovers during the key moments of the game. For as exciting as Fields was during his tenure as the Bears' starting quarterback, fourth-quarter turnovers became the trend for the former first-round pick.

Whether it is on third down or in the fourth quarter of games, the Bears will need Williams to take care of the ball. While highlighting Williams as the reason for the Bears to be optimistic about their 2024 season, Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus highlighted an area that the Bears' rookie quarterback must improve on during his first season at the NFL level.

The onus will be on the Bears' 28th-ranked offensive line to protect him. If they do, they will be protecting a passer who led college football in clean-pocket passing grade last season.

If they don’t, however, Williams will need to be careful with his ball security late in plays. He led the FBS last season with 16 turnover-worthy plays under pressure. Pass protection could be the key to his early success, but there is no doubt about Williams’ physical ability.

-Pro Football Talk

For the Bears, the goal of the offseason program and training camp next month should be for Williams to learn what he can and can't get away with at the NFL level. There will be interceptions for Williams during his rookie season but as long as he is calibrating his decision-making with each throw, that will be great sign for the Bears' offense moving forward.