“He’s a Rookie Starter for a Sorry Franchise”: Caleb Williams Receives Support From Skip Bayless After Bears vs. Vikings Matchup

Caleb Williams is finding life in the NFL challenging. His rookie season, which he’d hoped to dominate, quickly got out of his hands as the Bears kept registering loss after loss. However, Skip Bayless remains optimistic about the rookie.

In the game against the Vikings, Williams finished with 191 yards and one touchdown but completed just 18 of 31 passes. The Bears failed to score a single point in the first half. However, the usually skeptical Bayless gave Caleb some grace and showed faith in his abilities on X:

“Caleb Williams makes some big-time throws and some wild-high head-scratchers. He’s a rookie starter for a sorry franchise. But he’s going to be very good.”

 

Caleb Williams makes some big-time throws and some wild-high head-scratchers. He’s a rookie starter for a sorry franchise. But he’s going to be very good.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 17, 2024

He highlighted the rookie’s ability to make big plays and flashes of brilliance while acknowledging the poor decisions that reflect his inexperience.

Despite the growing pains, Skip remains confident that Williams will live up to the promise and hype surrounding him, even as he plays for a franchise with a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to developing quarterbacks.

So why has Williams struggled this season? Is it just decision-making or something to do with his confidence?

Williams’s struggles this season go beyond the O-Line

The young quarterback has struggled to maintain consistency—often faltering on simple plays while still delivering a few eye-catching throws. The Bears failed to score a single point in the first half against the Vikings, something that has been their story throughout the season.

The offense has struggled with slow starts, often leaving too much ground to cover in the second half. However, it would be unfair to place all the blame on Williams, as the play-calling has also left much to be desired.

That said, issues with his execution are evident. He has been slow to release the ball, often holding onto it too long, which has led to broken plays and stalled drives.

Offensive line struggles have added to his problems. A great O-line is the rookie’s best friend. Unfortunately, the Bears haven’t been able to provide that to him. He has been sacked 56 times in 14 games. Many of those sacks have come on third downs. While the O-line deserves some blame, Williams has sometimes taken avoidable sacks by failing to not throw the ball to open receivers.

Caleb hasn’t been turning the ball over which is a good sign. However, he needs to stop playing safe all the time and make some risky high-reward throws.

This isn’t new for the Bears though. They have historically been unable to get the best of the QBs they have drafted. Some of the names include Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, Cade McGown, and even Jim Harbaugh. They need to do better so as not to add Caleb Williams to that list.

Chicago needs to get their star QB- a proper Offensive Line and a Head Coach who can harvest his potential.