Chicago Bears 25 Most important players of 2024: #1 Caleb Williams

We finally made it to the end of our countdown of the Chicago Bears’ 25 most important players in 2024. At the top spot, we have the rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams

This is it, the Chicago Bears rookies report to training camp today! As the rookies get accustomed to the place and wait for the veterans to arrive in three days, we make it to the end of our countdown of the 25 most important players for 2024. At the top spot we have rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

Caleb Williams was the number one draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He is what many consider a generational talent. The Chicago Bears hope that he ushers in a new era of winning Chicago Bears football. General Manager Ryan Poles has put a lot of jobs and his rebuild on the shoulders of the kid.

We counted down the 25 most important players. Many of them were offensive players. Some of them are new to Chicago. Poles built this offense that looks like it could cause the scoreboard to blow smoke with the number of points scored. He built it with one player in mind — Caleb Williams.

Poles traded one of the most popular players on the team, quarterback Justin Fields. Some feel it would have been nice to see how Fields, who struggled to stand upright and find open targets with many substandard players, could play with this talent. Additionally, had Poles traded the number one pick, he could have gotten an even bigger haul than he did last year (and that was a franchise-altering haul).

However, Poles had Williams in mind for a while. There are reports that he pursued Williams since 2022, when the USC signal-caller won the Heisman Trophy. Poles wanted to make sure Williams succeeds so he set out to build the best offense he could. He added talent and depth everywhere, including brining in six-time Pro Bowl  wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Now the Chicago Bears have a solid running backs unit with D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson. Additionally, they have an excellent tight end duo with Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Furthermoe, they have what could be the best trio of wide receivers in D.J. Moore, Allen, and Rome Odunze. Let’s not forget the offensive line. Poles brought in four additional linemen so that unit is stronger and deeper.

All of this was for Williams’ benefit. He will now walk into the best situation any quarterback chosen number one has ever had in the history of the league. Normally, the number one pick plays with the worst team in the league.

The Chicago Bears were 7-10 last season, far from the worst. They challenged for a playoff spot until Week 17 when they were finally eliminated. They also had three collapses that, had they not happened, the Bears could have been a playoff team. Williams already had a pretty good team to come into. Now he has a potentially great team to handle.

Williams has the tools to become a great quarterback. He has a great arm and can make any throw at any angle. He is especially deadly when a play breaks down, always keeping his eyes downfield. While he does not have the wheels that Fields has (no one does), Williams can use his legs to extend a play or to move the chains.

In that way Williams is comparable to Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is not fast but he surprises you with key runs.

One thing Williams has to curtail is his penchant for going for the big play. He played too much hero ball in his final season with the Trojans. He has to take what the defense gives him at the pro level. If he has a five-yard run, go for it. Do not try to hit the receiver who is deep but double-covered.

In keeping with that big-play persona, Williams has lofty goals for his career. In The Pivot Podcast, he talked about his career goals. While he draws comparisons to Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes, Williams wants to be like the GOAT, Tom Brady. He said he wants to win eight titles, one more than Brady.

The only reason to play (is for championships).

Also, Williams understands the history of Chicago legends. He knows and respects another GOAT, Michael Jordan. He does not want to shy away from reaching the levels that other legends did. He wants to mimic what some of those other greats do but add his own twist.

Chicago Bears fans will see how intense Williams is and how much he wants to reach greatness. He talks about the video of him crying on his mother’s lap and how that looks as a leader. He said he was so emotional because all he wanted to do was win a National Championship. That game eliminated USC from the College Football Playoffs. He knew that was his last shot and he showed raw emotion.

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears now hope they have many opportunities to win titles. They hope to shed tears of joy much more than tears of frustration.

Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor  #24: Velus Jones  #23: Jack Sanborn  #22: Gerald Everett  #21: Kyler Gordon  #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard  #18: Nate Davis  #17: Jaquan Brisker  #16: Austin Booker  #15:Tyrique Stevenson  #14: Darnell Wright  #13: Khalil Herbert  #12: Tremaine Edmunds  #11: ColeKmet  #10: Gervon Dexter  #9: Rome Odunze  #8: Braxton Jones #7: D’Andre Swift  #6: Keenan Allen  #5: Montez Sweat  #4: T.J. Edwards  #3: Jaylon Johnson  #2: DJ Moore

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