In more than 100 years of existence, the Chicago Bears have never had an elite quarterback. While some of that has to do with the team's long-standing tradition of strong running games and how tough it is to play quarterback in the Windy City, it's still notable.
Of course, everybody expected Caleb Williams to change that once and for all. But after an up-and-down rookie season and some concerning reports coming out of training camp, some aren't so sure about that anymore.
Notably, that includes his own head coach, Ben Johnson. According to a report by CHGO Bears on X, Johnson said that the way he handles the next three days of practice will determine how much of a load they put on him for the season opener.
Bears Are Keeping the Training Wheels on Caleb Williams
Williams showed glimpses of strong play as a rookie, and the talent is most definitely there. Despite playing behind a shaky offensive line and being the most-sacked quarterback in the league, he still completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
However, while the play-scheming and play-calling situations didn't help his case one bit, his decision-making and ball-security were major issues all year long. He fumbled the ball ten times, losing five of them, and he made some head-scratching cross-body throws while trying to do too much.
The Bears revamped their offensive line to keep him out of harm's way for this season, and they still have a plethora of options in the passing game. So, the fact that they're still not ready to take the training wheels off of him with the start of the season just around the corner sounds alarming.
Granted, it could also be just Ben Johnson playing mind games, but with some of the clips we saw coming out of training camp, there are reasons to be worried about Williams and his accuracy and ability to cope with frustration.
At the end of the day, counting out a No.1 pick after one or two years isn't accurate or fair, and his rookie season was essentially a waste in terms of development. But with huge expectations and hype comes big responsibilities, and he will be expected to do a lot of heavy lifting and turn this team around overnight.
The pressure is on, and the clock is ticking. It's time to prove what he's got.