Through two weeks, the Chicago Bears are 0-2. They were in a position to win in Week 1, but they weren't competitive at all in Week 2. Perhaps more worryingly, Caleb Williams continues to show the same issues he had as a rookie.
So far, he former No. 1 pick has completed just 61.5 percent of his passes for 417 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He's been more aggressive with his legs, rushing 11 times for 85 yards and one touchdown.
The Bears' offense is still a work in progress, and Williams will obviously be the most important piece of the puzzle. But despite the somewhat disappointing outcomes, head coach Ben Johnson believes the best is yet to come.
Ben Johnson Sees Growth in Caleb Williams
"I did see significant growth," Johnson told the media. "It’s not perfect yet. There’s still a number of plays where our eyes aren’t quite in the right position or we’re holding onto the ball just a tick longer than what we’re coaching. But I did see tremendous growth in terms of going through the progression. There were a few times there where we had to get to number three or four in the read, and he was trusting his feet and his footwork and was able to get there. I did think he got better from Week 1 to Week 2. I’m encouraged by what I saw and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to see another leap here this week."
Williams' decision-making has left plenty to be desired at times. He continues to make way too many erratic throws, and his tendency to overthrow wide-open receivers has been infuriating at times. As of Week 1, he had 52 incompletions due to overthrowns since 2024, 17 more than Bo Nix, who's second on that list.
He has all the talent in the world, but he's not going to be able to thrive off talent and physical tools alone in this league. He's going against pros, and he's not going to get away with the same things he got away with in the Pac-12.
At least, Williams knows that he's still far from a finished product. He's aware that he has to continue working on his footwork, something that will inevitably lead to more accurate passing:
"Just being able to get comfortable with my footwork, that [was] my focus from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think why some of those passes from Week 1 to Week 2 looked a little different," Williams said. "I mean, [footwork] is up there with the top list of things to be able to be accurate, and that's huge for me. From there, I think I have all the talent in the world to be able to deliver a good ball to my guys and let them go and make plays for us as an offense."
It's never wise or fair to rush to conclusions with young quarterbacks. Also, he's had three different offensive play-callers already, and his rookie season may have been a bit of a waste because the team didn't put him in a position to succeed.
However, watching him be pretty much the same player he was in college is fairly discouraging. It's still early in the season, but even if the wins aren't there, the fans want and need to see continuous growth from their franchise player.