Caleb Williams threw for more yards in one season than any quarterback in Chicago Bears history. He won the NFC North and beat the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
Some NFL coaches watched all of that and still concluded, “Tier 3.”
Tough crowd.
Williams moved into Tier 2 in Mike Sando’s annual quarterback rankings for The Athletic. The results came from 50 league executives and coaches, with 36 placing Williams in Tier 2 and 14 keeping him in Tier 3.
The split was more interesting than the ranking. All eight current general managers surveyed put Williams in Tier 2. Coaches accounted for 11 of his 14 Tier 3 votes.
Perhaps a few of them have not caught up with what happened in Chicago last season.
Caleb Williams gave Chicago something it rarely gets
He threw 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions and led six fourth-quarter comebacks.
Then came the playoffs.
Facing Green Bay in the wild-card round, Williams threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns while leading another comeback. Chicago earned its first postseason victory since the 2010 season.
Those are not Tier 3 accomplishments.
Williams was not flawless. His 58.1% completion rate was ugly, and there is no clever way to dress that up. He missed easy throws. At times, he appeared more comfortable making the ridiculous play than completing the simple pass sitting directly in front of him.
That deserves criticism. Keeping him in the same tier as quarterbacks who must be hidden by their coaches is something else.
The Bears were not winning in spite of Williams. Several times, they won because he refused to let the game end quietly.
Williams can settle the argument himself
General managers can look at Williams and imagine what he may become. Coaches prepare for the player he is now. They see the missed layups, inconsistent footwork and drives that lose their rhythm.
Williams can erase those concerns by becoming more dependable on routine throws. He does not need additional circus plays. Everyone already knows he can make those.
Early training camp reports have been encouraging. Williams opened Thursday’s practice with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze. He later completed all six attempts on the final drive and finished it with a touchdown to Luther Burden.
Yes, it is August. Training camp has transformed plenty of ordinary quarterbacks into temporary Hall of Famers.
Williams has more than practice highlights supporting him. He has a division title, a playoff win and the best passing season ever produced by a Bears quarterback.
Tier 1 can wait.
Tier 3 feels like a few coaches refusing to admit they were wrong.
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