Chicago Bears fans and NFL analysts are still buzzing about rookie Caleb Williams’ performance this past Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, as he displayed his arm strength and mobility. Although his stat line wasn’t eyepopping, the first overall selection received immense praise for his display of athleticism to avoid being sacked and keeping plays alive with his feet, including seven-yard rushing touchdown towards the end of the first half. Williams drew comparisons t o former first-round signal-caller, Justin Fields, who has been regarded as one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league over the past few season, but Chicago’s new rookie is vastly different.
Caleb Williams is using his elite passing traits to help make himself a more efficient scrambler
Through the Bears’ first two games, Caleb Williams has demonstrated an advanced understanding of the team’s new offensive scheme under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The first overall selection hasn’t looked overwhelmed or inexperienced and has executed the offensive game plan in the limited time he has been in during the preseason. It is because of this command of the offense that has enabled Caleb WIlliams to make plays through the air, but also importantly, the ground when forced to scramble.
In the close to three quarters of preseason football that Caleb Williams has played in so far, he has only been sacked once and has done tremendous job avoiding pressure and keeping a play alive with his feet. Against the Buffalo Bills, the rookie quarterback evaded pressure on multiple occasions, and despite having to maneuver within the pocket, was able to complete a pass or at least get a throw off. Even more significant has been Williams’ ability to know when to scramble for a first down or a touchdown, as he has done one or the other in both of Chicago’s preseason games.
Caleb Williams’ scramble capability alone isn’t what deserves praise, but it is how he chooses when to do it, along with how he does it. In each game, Williams has scrambled after he has gone through all his progressions and is without any option but to run. Additionally, the rookie signal-caller is finding clear lanes to run because of his understanding of where his passing-targets are on the field, knowing where the most space would be due to defenders either breaking containment or having their backs turned.
What Caleb Williams has demonstrated when either scrambling for a 13-yard run against the Bills, or a seven-yard touchdown against the Bengals, is usually seen from a proven veteran quarterback and not from a rookie playing in his first few games. Williams’ mobility already appears to be vastly different from that of Fields, who he will be compared to due to how he is choosing to scramble. The issue with former Chicago starter’s scrambling was that he always seemed to rely too heavily on it and leaned on his athleticism to outrun defenders than set them up strategically.
For Fields, through three seasons, he is pacing to become one of the league’s best scrambling quarterbacks in history, yet there doesn’t appear to be much depth to the rest of his game at the position. With Caleb Williams though, the rookie already is showing an advanced understanding of playing his position, which allows him to scramble with more meaning. For example, during his touchdown scramble, the rookie eluded multiple defenders within the pocket before breaking towards his right. The entire time he was doing this he was still looking to throw the ball, and finally ran for the endzone when no target was open.
Justin Fields is a better scrambling quarterback than Caleb Williams but it will be Williams that will be the better dual-threat quarterback
The issue with Fields has been his weakness of going through progressions and waiting to scramble when it is absolutely necessary. There were often situations where the former Bears’ quarterback would make one or two reads before breaking from the pocket and scrambling for any gain possible. In 2022, Fields nearly broke the NFL record for most rushing yards by a signal-caller running for over 1143 yards. Last season, despite playing in 13 games, he only rushed for 657 yards.
The drop off in Fields’ rushing yards from one year to the next was due to opposing defenses counteracting his ability to beat them by scrambling. Back in 2022, Chicago’s former quarterback recorded multiple rushing attempts of over 40 yards, while in 2023, his longest rushing attempt was only 39 yards. Opposing defenses didn’t fear Fields as a passing threat which enabled them to play containment defense, limiting the lengths of his scrambles after leaving the pocket.
With Caleb Williams, although he hasn’t played an official NFL game yet, he is already using his elite passing-talent to setup opposing defenders when he does choose to run for a first down. The main hope from fans and analysts for Fields was for him to become a dominant dual threat quarterback similar to Patrick Mahomes, who would use his mobility to create open targets downfield. In two preseason games, it is Caleb Williams who is showing closer similarities Mahomes than Chicago’s former signal caller.
The NFL season kicks off in two and a half weeks and immense excitement is growing for Caleb Williams’ debut against the Tennessee Titans because of his passing capabilities. However, it is his knowledgeable intuition to scramble that will make him an elite quarterback in just a few years in the league. Fields may go on to accumulate more rushing yards than Williams during their careers, but it will be Chicago’s new rookie signal-caller who will have the scrambling yards mean more in terms of winning games.
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