Bear Digest

Caleb Williams Urged to Forget One of Worst Bears QB Starts

Caleb Williams' first two starts produced some of the worst numbers by a rookie passer for the same number of starts in team history, but his former coach urges him to look ahead.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams grips it and lets fire with a pass against the Texans en route to one of the worst starts for a rookie QB starter in recent team history.
Caleb Williams grips it and lets fire with a pass against the Texans en route to one of the worst starts for a rookie QB starter in recent team history. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Caleb Williams has had a rough start even by Bears rookie quarterback standards.

If anyone should still have total confidence in Williams, it's his former coach Lincoln Riley.

Riley definitely does. He discounted the slow start by the No. 1 pick in the draft and expressed the thought he'll be like any other quarterback when it comes to the NFL. He simply needs some time.

Speaking with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports, Riley suggested Williams not overcomplicate his first two games.

"I think you've got to go back to the basics," Riley said. "And I think a lot of times the answers that you're looking for as a player are right there and sometimes when you get into it and get into competitive situations, especially a new league, a new offense, new coaches around, it's a new supporting cast, there's going to be some growing pains. right?" Riley said. "You're going to go through some tough moments but you've got to continue to improve, continue to lead.

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"And most importantly you can't let it affect your attitude, your mentality, the way you play, the way you practice. You've just got to keep growing and Caleb will. He's a fighter. He's going to continue to learn and grow."

Williams is 30th in passing yards (267) and passer rating (53.0). He's tied with Brock Purdy and Gardner Minshew for most times sacked (9) and has the second-highest sacked percentage in the league (12.0%).

Riley said Williams is unlikely to be fazed by the early struggles and likely will benefit from them.

"As painful as some of these tough moments have been early in the season, those are all opportunities to learn and grow," Riley said. "If he's going to become the player that we all know he can be in that league, he's going to have to learn and progress from them, and I think he will."

In terms of Bears quarterbacks, Williams first two starts produced a 53.0 quarterback rating with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The passer rating is the worst by any Bears rookie starting QB for two games since Cade McNown in 1999 (49.5).

Justin Fields had almost an identical passer rating after his second start, of 53.9, and also had no touchdown passes but two interceptions and the same starting record as Williams.

Kyle Orton (74.4), Rex Grossman (76.4), Mitchell Trubisky (73.3) and Craig Krenzel (62.4) all had higher passer ratings for two Bears career starts than Willliams.

Source: Profootball reference

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.