Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season was a mixed bag.
There were brief glimpses, particularly during a 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London where it looked like Williams had arrived, and the former Heisman Trophy winner very nearly led the Bears back to beat the Lions on Thanksgiving.
However, it just seemed like despite completing 62.5 percent of his passes, Williams never quite got on the same page with receivers Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and D.J. Moore, from a timing perspective for much of the season.
After some targeted aggressiveness during free agency by general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears front office, the stage could be set for Williams to make major strides in Williams’ second season and first under new head coach Ben Johnson.
NFL analyst bullish on Caleb Williams and Chicago Bears in 2025
Much of what Poles and the Bears have already accomplished this offseason has been laser-focused on setting Williams up for success.
NFL Media’s Kevin Patra had high praise for Chicago’s trades for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and the addition of stalwart center Drew Dalman in free agency, in particular, especially when it comes to those moves’ impact on Williams.
“There are no more excuses for Williams heading into Year 2,” Patra writes. “Bonus: The Bears’ offseason moves, bolstering the trenches, open up their options with the No. 10 overall pick. Now they can take an OT, an RB or another edge, or continue to beef up the interior on both sides, or snag a DB. There is no wrong answer.”
It will be fascinating to watch the Bears’ NFL Draft strategy unfold, the first of the Poles-Johnson partnership, but as Patra points out, Chicago has created significant optionality with the moves already made this offseason.
Adding a playmaker such as Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty would alleviate a significant amount of pressure from Williams, but, picking one of the top offensive tackles available at No. 10 would go a long way towards alleviating the barrage of pressure Williams faced while withstanding 68 sacks in 2024.
The Bears seem uniquely positioned to be able to focus on taking who the front office and coaching staff believes is the best player available when they go on the clock thanks to how they’ve handled the offseason so far. The biggest winner of all, regardless of the direction they take, may wind up being Williams.
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