Bear Digest

Chris Simms Rankings Regard Caleb Williams as the 'Chosen One'

Bears QB ranked higher by Chris Simms than any rookie ever in his annual ranking of all NFL quarterbacks.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams has a lofty ranking from Chris Simms in the annual ranking of all quarterbacks.
Caleb Williams has a lofty ranking from Chris Simms in the annual ranking of all quarterbacks. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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Quarterback rankings for Pro Football Focus and several other websites came out last week.

The much-anticipated Chris Simms rankings came out on Tuesday and Bears rookie Caleb Williams is in a lofty place for a rookie. Actually, he's in a place higher than any rookie has ever been since Simms started doing his rankings.

Williams has been ranked 20th out of all NFL quarterbacks by Simms, the NBC Sports analyst and son of former Giants QB Phil Simms.

Simms said he had no problem ranking a rookie so high because he's now standing by what he believes in after he had been "chickening out" in the past when it came to ranking rookies over veterans.

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"His physical talent is extraordinary," Simms said. "Extraordinary. I also think he has the mentality and the maturity to handle Chicago and handle the new offensive situation."

Simms predicts a somewhat slower start for Williams.

"I know it might not be perfect in Week 1 or 2, but I'm betting more in Week 5 or 6 that–like we saw with C.J. Stroud last year– we're going to be going 'Holy crap, Caleb Williams,' " Simms said on his Unbuttoned podcast.

Simms regards Williams as a quarterback who has been groomed for this success since he was young, so he'll achieve.

"I look at him as being a natural, being a 'Chosen One' type of guy," Simms said. "He's been in an offense in his college career where it was on his shoulders and he was asked to read the field and check and do things at the line of scrimmage."

Fields is ranked one spot ahead of Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and two ahead of Derek Carr. Daniel Jones is No. 23, Deshaun Watson No. 24. A backup QB is No. 25, former Bears QB Justin Fields.

"Right now I categorize him as a guy who kind of needs to be in a certain offense and the game needs to be played a certain way, right, for him to be at his best," Simms said of Fields. "And I think what he's in Pittsburgh will be suiting to him."

Simms releases the rankings in groups and is halfway through at this point.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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.