The Chicago Bears are 4-3 and heading into a pivotal Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. A win over Cincinnati would have the Bears back in the playoff picture, while a loss could have Chicago looking into the future.
But amid this 2025 NFL season, in Ben Johnson's first year as Bears head coach, the concerns about Caleb Williams have persisted. He hasn't played as well as fans hoped for, struggling in each of the last two games.
With his struggles in recent weeks, NFL insider Alber Breer of Sports Illustrated urged Bears fans to be patient with Williams. Breer invoked the names of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Daniel Jones as reasons to be patient with Williams.
Bears fans urged to be patient with Caleb Williams
The first overall pick hasn't played great in the last two weeks, putting up 15 completions and 172 yards with one interception on 26 attempts against the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. In Week 8, Williams went for 285 yards and one interception on 38 pass attempts in a 30-16 loss.
Those two weeks back-to-back have been cause for concern regarding Williams' development. However, Breer is urging Bears fans to be patient with Williams.
"I think we're way too quick to pass judgment on quarterbacks, for better or for worse," Breer writes, "... Williams is wildly talented and a lot more raw than most people (myself included) thought he would be coming out. So for now, Ben Johnson is, smartly, leaning on his run game and defense, which allows for more development for Williams."
Williams, despite showing some concerning signs the last two weeks, has also shown some promise. This year, he has 1,636 passing yards through eight weeks of play with nine passing touchdowns and four interceptions.
Those aren't ideal numbers, especially since Williams had similar numbers through the first eight weeks of his 2024 rookie season. He had 1,665 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions in his first eight games of 2024.
More: Bears vs. Eagles Black Friday game on Amazon Prime Video to make global NFL history
During both eight-game stretches, he had four fumbles, though this season he's not lost one, while in 2024 he lost two. He's doing a better job of taking care of the football, but there are still some areas of concern with Williams.
But, as Breer points out, it's Williams' second season in the league, and he's 23 years old and still developing. It's his first season with Johnson as his head coach, and just like many other quarterbacks around the NFL, he might just need time to develop.
If he doesn't show signs of improvement in the future, then those concerns would be more valid. But Williams has shown enough promise that Bears fans should be patient with their first overall pick.
It might not be ideal right now, but as was the case with a few of the league's best quarterbacks, patience is a virtue, and Bears fans should give him some time to develop into the franchise quarterback that Chicago and its fans are hoping for.
More Bears News:
- Why D'Andre Swift isn't playing after first quarter for Bears with injury in favor of Kyle Monangai
- Why Bears changed kicker back to Cairo Santos from Jake Moody
- Bears announce horrible Kyle Gordon update as star cornerback hits injured reserve
- How D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai helped re-establish Bears' run game