Caleb Williams faced many challenges as a rookie, having to live up to the hype of a No. 1 overall pick. Most notably, he had to learn the hard way that holding on to the ball for too long doesn’t work in the NFL. Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times, usually because he tended to dance around with the ball rather than dump it off. But… NFL insider John Middlekauff wasn’t too surprised by these first-year mistakes.
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Middlekauff says that more and more quarterbacks with Caleb’s skill set are entering the league every year. And almost all of them, except players like Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels, are sticking to the habits they developed in college.
What habits, you ask? It’s trying to make those crazy plays, and doing it almost all the time. It’s a stark contrast to the old-school model of quarterbacks like Peyton and Eli Manning, who were bigger, taller, less athletic, and couldn’t run.
“I think young quarterbacks, they kind of get caught up sometimes in trying to make these crazy plays, because that’s what they’ve done for most of their career. And in the NFL, you will get humbled, you will get destroyed, and you will get embarrassed,” Middlekauff said on 3 & Out.
It’s a sentiment that is getting truer and truer with every quarterback class. Williams was spotted countless times as a rookie extending plays unnecessarily before taking a bad sack. He also noticeably looked uncomfortable whenever he felt any sense of pressure. Rather than hanging in the pocket and trusting the read and protection, he often escaped into bigger catastrophes.
That’s why Middlekauff urged Williams to release the ball quicker to his teammates instead of trying to be the talisman himself. It’s something Jared Goff did under Ben Johnson to revive his career.
“But I think if you’re Caleb, you need to learn from these guys, like just get rid of the ball. Just dump the ball. Not everyone is Steph Curry and shooting fadeaway threes. You can’t always run around and try to throw deep bombs,” Middlekauff professed.
“The way Jared Goff got his career back on track with Ben [Johnson] was just getting rid of the ball quick. Just getting the ball out of your hands. This is the NFL, it’s a space game,” the analyst added.
In four seasons together, Johnson helped Goff accumulate 16,887 passing yards, 115 touchdowns, and just 39 interceptions. The two also posted a 39-25-1 record and dominated the NFC this past season en route to the playoffs. Goff even received MVP votes last year, appearing on 30 of 50 ballots.
That’s why Middlekauff, and many others, are excited to see how Johnson can help reform his new QB in Chicago. Theoretically, he has a better skill set to work with than Goff. He just has to teach Williams how to hone those skills.
The good news is that, in this day and age, Caleb’s job might be easier when it comes to spreading the play and getting the ball out quickly. Why? Because the NFL’s catching standards are at an all-time high, among running backs as much as among receivers.
“Go around the league right now, look at how many starting running backs are excellent in the passing game. I mean, if we consider Saquon Barkley’s hands to be kind of meh, it shows you how awesome the standard is currently in the NFL, in terms of catching the ball.”
It certainly feels like there are more pass-catching running backs than ever. Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs are all among the best in the league at both running and receiving. Williams even has D’Andre Swift to throw to out of the backfield, a player long known as a reliable pass-catcher.
So, will the second-year QB take the advice? Does Johnson have him on a quick-release game plan for the upcoming season? He should if he wants to avoid the bust label. Some might even call Caleb’s rookie season disastrous. He is going to need to show significant growth to prove he’s got what it takes.
