One of the more intriguing players heading into the 2026 NFL season is undoubtedly Caleb Williams. Coming in with all the hype in the world, he was the runaway selection for the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
An uneven rookie season tempered expectations, but the youngster showed a ton of growth in his second year. Leading the Chicago Bears to the playoffs, expectations are starting to reach the sky once again, especially after his transformation through training camp.
Caleb Williams Is Already Impressing
Going 5-12 after playoff expectations in his rookie year, Williams tallied 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, while committing 6 interceptions. However, the biggest detriment to his game was the sack numbers.
At 68 sacks for the season, it was an all-out disaster at the line of scrimmage. The 2025 campaign, though, was an all-around improvement at virtually every level. The raw numbers, at 3,942 passing yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions, were a step up.
But an 11-6 record that won the brutal NFC North, and just 24 sacks, seemed to fix the biggest weakness in his game. As a result, he finished at number 20 on PFSN’s QB Impact Metrics. However, it seems like he has another level to get to.
Veteran analyst Colin Cowherd, during the latest episode of his podcast, only had positive things to say about the former USC product. But his primary focus went to the weight loss that has dynamically changed Williams.
“I was blown away!”@colincowherd tells @DannyParkins about his day watching Caleb Williams at Bears Practice pic.twitter.com/o4kCI8HuyZ
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 10, 2026
“So I went to the practice. The first thing I was looking for is everybody said Caleb Williams lost 15 pounds. So I talked to him after practice, [and] he said 13. But there was a breakdown on one play, and he moved left. And I’m not joking, he looked like a wide receiver.”
Gushing about the speed on display, Cowherd added, “He was always a good runner. He looked so fast. Like, the corners had angles, and they couldn’t catch up on the angle.” However, it wasn’t the only thing to catch the Radio Hall of Famer’s attention.
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“The second thing that jumped out, and it was noticeable, and I talked to Ben Johnson after practice, he’s much tighter. Like, post practice, during practice, accuracy, it’s different. But his speed was noticeable. He’s much tighter with his accuracy. I was just kind of blown away.”
Williams has regularly added an extra dimension to his game with his legs. Whether it is taking off and converting yards on the ground on his own or using it to escape pressure and make throws on the run, the former Heisman Trophy winner has always had the added element in his game.
Additional speed in that regard could give him an even higher ceiling. But for Bears fans, the biggest sign of optimism might be the accuracy. Last season, it was his one true Achilles Heel, as he finished with a completion percentage under 60%.
If the jump in his accuracy is a sustainable development going into his third season, then the sky might be the limit for the third-year quarterback.
