The Chicago Bears camp and early preseason have been dominated by national media doubting the future of Caleb Williams. The internet lost its collective mind over a video of the quarterback's frustration when missing practice throws meant to land in a football net. It seems there was a level of collective amnesia that denied all the NFL level throws we watched Williams make in his rookie season. In an age of hot takes, this was evidence that served as the answer as to what Williams is or isn't for the Bears.
Add in the fact that the quarterback was going through expected growing pains with a new offensive system, and there was a heavy level of scrutiny. Something the Bears responded to well with a fun 38-0 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. While the results were in meaningless, it was fun to see the Bears offense give a sneak peek of what Ben Johnson's attack could look like at its absolute best.
Williams stepped into this and went 6/10 for 107 yards and an impressive touchdown pass. It was as big of a statement as the quarterback could make in a preseason game. One that is going to be shrugged off as a meaningless practice result, despite this same logic applying to the net video that had so many pundits concerned.
Bears Quarterback Caleb Williams Quiets the Noise in Impressive Preseason Debut
The Bears' signal caller looked the part of a franchise quarterback obviously being the best player on the field. It is exactly what you expect of your starting quarterback when faced with a team not taking the preseason with any level of seriousness. The Bills are content to simply make it to the 2025 season healthy. It is hard to argue against this logic for a proven playoff contender.
However, Chicago doesn't have this luxury and needed a strong outing from the offense to help quiet all the early frustration. This is exactly what Williams did, looking completely in command and giving fans a glimpse of what they hope is ahead.
For Williams, there isn't any questioning the fact that this is a resounding statement. One that is going to excite fans and perhaps quiet a bit of the heat that has followed the starter throughout camp and into the preseason. Chicago remains a fringe playoff contender, but was given a glimpse of what exactly must happen in the 2025 season to take the leap.