On Tuesday, it was hardly a surprise to learn that the Chicago Bears had dismissed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The regression of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams amid the club’s three-game losing streak sparked predictable concerns among the fan base.
For a piece published on Tuesday, rival executives and coaches spoke with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe about what has gone wrong regarding Williams’ lack of growth as Chicago went from 4-2 to 4-5.
“He is doing the same things he did in college in terms of holding the ball and being inconsistent with his reads,” an executive said about Williams. “He could get away with running around, throwing the ball up for grabs, throwing across his body and he had some success doing that. You don’t get away with that at the NFL level too often. I’m a little surprised they haven’t been able to clean some of this up.”
While many said long before the Bears made Williams the first pick of this year’s draft that he was the top quarterback prospect of his class, some NFL personnel insisted this past spring that Chicago should’ve instead taken LSU’s Jayden Daniels. The Washington Commanders ultimately grabbed Daniels with the draft’s second overall choice, and he has since become the favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
“He always held the ball too long,” a second executive said about Williams, “so you have to minimize pure dropback situations and support him with a run game, which improves the impact of your [run-pass option], QB movement and play action.”
According to Pro Football Reference, Williams began Tuesday ranked 30th in the NFL among qualified players with a 38.4 adjusted QBR, 28th with an 81.0 passer rating, 32nd with a 60.5% completion percentage and 30th with a 39.8% passing success rate for the season. He tossed nine touchdown passes and five interceptions over his first nine games.
One offensive coach told Howe that Williams is experiencing “typical rookie” struggles this fall.
“The expectations on him were so high,” that coach added. “No way he was going to be able to match those.”
Williams and the Bears will host the 6-3 Green Bay Packers next Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Chicago as a six-point underdog for that matchup.
