Caleb Williams was off to a hot start to his rookie year with the Chicago Bears last season, going 4-2 in the first half of the season. But then came the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels, and everything went haywire for the Bears.
Chicago went on a ten-game losing streak, which ultimately saw Matt Eberflus become the first head coach fired midseason in franchise history. However, only a small part of this downfall can truly be blamed on the quarterback, and Bears legend Brian Urlacher believes Williams would have done way better in a different situation.
Brian Urlacher Believes Caleb Williams Would Have Won Rookie of the Year in a Better System
Despite Williams setting a pair of Bears rookie passing records for yards (3,541) and touchdowns (20), Chicago’s offense didn’t live up to the hype, finishing 30th in the Offense+ metric.
The team also underwent an offensive coordinator and head coach change, which made it clear the franchise lacked real leadership. This was directly reflected on the field, especially in Williams’ confidence, and Urlacher believes that had the Bears not been in the “turmoil” they were, the quarterback could have been Rookie of the Year.
“I think he is going to be really good. If you put him in a different situation last year, I think he could’ve been Rookie of the Year,” Urlacher said on “Glory Daze with Johnny Manziel”. “So much turmoil going on there. It has been the last 13 years since they got rid of Lovie [Smith]. There has been no consistency in the coaching department. It’s not the player’s fault, it’s just the way it goes. Or maybe it is the player’s fault, cause they haven’t won so they can’t keep a coach.”
Chicago hired Ben Johnson for the head coach position, and the former Detroit Lions OC has already made a flurry of changes to lay the ground for Williams’ sophomore leap. Urlacher said he loved the hire and termed it a good thing for the quarterback’s growth.
Urlacher added: “Ben Johnson’s the man. I love that hire, I think he’ll do a great job with Caleb [Williams]. They signed some guys up front to protect Caleb and they’ve always had the receivers. I think that’s going to be a good thing for him.”
Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times last season, and the first thing Johnson did on his arrival was improve the offensive line with three key additions. He then drafted a tight end in the first round and a wide receiver in the second, giving Williams the best supporting cast possible.
Williams’ rookie total of 3,541 passing yards landed him fifth on the team’s list of single-season passing marks, and no QB in the franchise’s history has breached the 4,000 mark. The bar is not very high for Williams to become the Bears’ greatest quarterback, and Johnson has set up everything for him to finally be Chicago’s first 4,000-yard passer and much more beyond that.