Shocking Caleb Williams Detail From Rookie Season Proves He'll Thrive With Competent Coaching

Caleb Williams had a tough rookie season for the Chicago Bears. The No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft put up solid stats, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 17 games but it didn’t translate to team success as the Bears finished 5-12 and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The expectations for Williams will rise next season. Ben Johnson was brought in from the Detroit Lions to help Williams take the next step and free agency could be fruitful as Chicago looks to bolster their offensive line and add more weapons to make life easier on their franchise quarterback.

But for all the new teammates and coaches the Bears are bringing in, one detail from his rookie season could have worked in his favor and created plenty of optimism for his performance in 2025.

Caleb Williams Didn’t Watch Film With Former Bears Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron

One of the first moves that the Bears made before drafting Williams was to bring in Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. Waldron had previously worked under Pete Carroll in Seattle and was supposed to work hand-in-hand with Williams to acclimate him to the NFL. But "The Making Monsters" podcast by Second City Gridiron revealed that the rookie didn’t review film with his offensive coordinator last year.

“He built his own film study room because Shane Waldron was not going over film with him,” Podcast host Taylor Doll said.

Bears fans may need to sit down for this one. The franchise made a significant investment by selecting Williams ahead of Jayden Daniels in last year’s draft and trusted one of the coaches on staff to walk him through his rookie season. Not only did that not happen, Williams had to make the additional effort to watch film by himself to try to correct his mistakes like a young homeowner watches a YouTube video to fix their plumbing problems.

It makes the Bears' decision to fire Waldron last November a good move and the Jacksonville Jaguars' decision to add him to the coaching staff to help Trevor Lawrence downright bizarre.

For Bears fans, it’s good knowing that Williams didn’t just shrug his shoulders at his offensive coordinator’s incompetence. It’s even better knowing that he won’t have the same problem with Johnson as he helped turn Jared Goff into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

It’s just another turn in what was a crazy rookie season for Williams and gives hope for a brighter future as he heads into his second season.

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