It has been an up-and-down offseason for Chicago Bears fans when it comes to watching the league-wide perception of quarterback Caleb Williams. Some pundits have pointed the signal-caller as a top-five option, while others have debated whether he belonged in the top half of the league's starting options. This leads us to look at a recent ranking from CBS Sports that compiled the league's top 25 players 25 or younger.
Williams was ranked 7th behind Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua, Penei Sewell, Drake Maye, JSN, and Will Anderson Jr. While it is clear that these rankings aren't taking into account positional value, it is also unavoidable that Maye being ranked above Williams is based simply on a Super Bowl run that was in a weak AFC. Maye went to the Super Bowl without facing Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Joe Burrow.
Bringing us to the fact that even if you value Maye's 2025 run ahead of Williams, that isn't a reasonable group of NFL decision-makers who are selecting Will Anderson or Penei Sewell ahead of the Chicago quarterback. Both are stabilizing forces for their respective position groups, but neither has the elite ceiling of Williams.
If you want to argue that Bijan Robinson is a generational talent who deserves the top ranking regardless of positional value, it is a reasonable argument. The pieces beyond this become increasingly difficult to swallow, as more valuable than what Williams brings to the table.
Caleb Williams Continues to Deal with Inconsistent Offseason Rankings
The good news for Chicago fans is the fact that we are closing in on the 2026 season, with rankings and offseason chatter nearly behind us. Training camps kick off at the end of July, leading to preseason action and meaningful reps that will give fans and pundits meaningful content to react to for the first time in far too long.
With this in mind, as much as the ranking might be incorrect, it does nothing but serve as another example of motivation for Williams ahead of the 2026 season. As much as the quarterback might pretend to be above the noise, there is no denying that he is paying attention.
The greatest athletes typically utilize coverage as a tool, and that appears to be the mindset of Williams. This ranking can be filed under a long list of poor takes around a quarterback who is going to waste little time in the 2026 season reminding the league of exactly why he was a first-overall selection.
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