Caleb Williams has entered the NFL with a lot of hype and a label of generational talent. Is this hype dying down, now that his first day of practice was an underwhelming affair? While most fans are still optimistic about his chances in the NFL, his first practice at the OTAs had some fans labeling him a “bust.”
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It’s in no way unheard of for a rookie quarterback to struggle during camp, but the expectations from Williams have been sky-high since day one. Reports from the Bears camp indicate that Williams struggled during OTA drills against league starters, with a lot of “near interceptions.” Additionally, Williams completed just 3 passes in 7 on 7’s, with most of the passes being “completed to the flat,” and he “held onto the ball for a long time.”
Fans bombarded social media with comments predicting Caleb to be unsuccessful in the league. Some even relegated the young QB to the fate suffered by Zach Wilson. Fans said,
U can bookmark my shit bro cuz he puttin up Zach Wilson rookie camp numbers rn
— Breden Natividad (@kingnatividad76) May 23, 2024
Another chimed in and wrote,
He’s a bust. The only thing Chicago did by trading fields and drafting Williams was put themselves back at square one.
— Nathan Osborne (@Nozzy1704) May 23, 2024
Williams’s arrogance once again came into question as a user commented,
the guy is too full of himself. He is going to be humbled quickly
— Jordan (@Jordant89) May 23, 2024
And someone else added,
He’s a bust lol all the talent in the world but till he matures he’ll never be able to lead a group of men to wins. And I don’t see him maturing soon.
— Jeramiah Poyer (@Jpo_NA) May 23, 2024
Others said,
Go on ahead then. This dudes gonna be the biggest bust the NFL has ever seen.
— J (@ImInAnIgloo) May 23, 2024
While there are an overwhelming number of fans who believe Williams is a bust, there were some fans who pointed out that Patrick Mahomes, while arguably the greatest quarterback playing in the league right now, faced similar issues during his own training camp.
Fan Digs Up Patrick Mahomes’ Stats to Invalidate Caleb Williams’ Critics
The Chiefs fans on social media came out in support of the Bears and Caleb Williams by digging out an old report of Patrick Mahomes during his time at his first OTAs. As per a fan, the 2-time NFL MVP had a similar showing at the OTAs as he threw 7 picks in his first 6 training camp practices.
Many stated that these reports are meaningless and that Williams should be given a fair chance in the league to prove himself like Mahomes was. The media too had been critical of the 3-time Super Bowl winner, before he eventually proved himself. While fans on Calebs’ side don’t have unrealistic expectations that he will end up just like Mahomes, they remain optimistic.
There are many instances of QBs picked in the first round being busts. JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Matt Leinart, David Carr, Josh Rosen, etc. That doesn’t mean Caleb Williams is headed down the same path even without playing a snap in the NFL.
The Bears for the first time have built an optimum atmosphere for a QB to succeed. If Caleb manages to throw for over 4000 yards in his first 4 years, he will have already achieved more than many QBs in Chicago’s history.
