Caleb Williams had a tough time in his rookie season. But that arguably had just as much to do with outside factors as it did with him. The Chicago Bears felt they got their franchise quarterback—perhaps for the first time in franchise history—but failed to surround him with the proper protection, coaching, or guidance.
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The offensive line was historically bad, allowing Caleb Williams to be sacked a whopping 68 times. That’s not only 16 more than the next-most sacked QB last year (C.J. Stroud), that’s also tied for the third-most in any season in NFL history. And then there were all the midseason firings, namely, head coach Matt Eberflus and the offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
It was a pretty rocky start to NFL life for Williams, but the Bears have seemingly righted the ship. New head coach Ben Johnson was an excellent hire, and he’s brought in a ton of his own guys while also focusing on how he can put Williams in the best position, with better talent around him and a more solid line in front of him. However, ESPN pundit and former backup NFL QB Dan Orlovsky cautioned that things won’t change overnight.
“Getting off of the first progression and moving on. Building in that timing. Building in that rhythm. And then the placement of the throw. Again, being elite while you’re playing within the rhythm of the pass game. And that’s the hiccup that has always been Caleb’s. Back at OU. Then to USC, and then to his rookie year. Of course it’s fixable, but Chicago fans, it’s not going to happen in September,” Orlovsky argued.
Orlovsky then warned over-excited Bears fans, who have been QB-starved for over a century, to pump the brakes. Williams and the Bears have made the right moves. But according to Orlovsky, there are a lot of quarterback mechanics and rhythm issues that will take time to fix. He said that it could very well be years before Williams is the finished product.
“He has to erase a decade worth of playing a certain style of football, and rebuild the habits. It is going to take, candidly, years. Ben Johnson rocket-shipped with Jared Goff. Jared Goff took four or five years of the NFL in building that footwork part of his game up. And so, it’s not like it’s going to be impossible in October, November, December. It’s just gonna take time.”
"He has to erase a decade worth of playing a certain style of football and rebuild the habits."@danorlovsky7 says it's going to take years for Caleb Williams to get the Bears offense going 👀 pic.twitter.com/B7nMg8CzPq
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 26, 2025
Caleb Williams came into last year with a lot of hype, and he did not answer the bell. This time around, he has a much better support system both on the sidelines and in the huddle, and there is arguably less hype surrounding him and his Bears. Perhaps the slowing of the hype train will be another factor in turning things around for the youngster in 2025.
