Bear Digest

Embarrassing Caleb Williams rank sure to fire up Justin Fields fans

Caleb Williams' rating in an NFL.com look at all 59 QBs who started in 2024 will have fans of a former Bears starting QB riled up and also Williams' own fans.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams went through a rookie year so bad he was below some QBs no one could have expected, says one analyst.
Caleb Williams went through a rookie year so bad he was below some QBs no one could have expected, says one analyst. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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It's not so much Caleb Williams being ranked near the bottom of NFL quarterbacks but the others in the ranking just above him that stirs controversy.

Bears fans have been used to seeing Williams rated down and placed near the bottom of NFL QBs in analytical grades throughout 2024, as their rookie No. 1 overall draft pick struggled with a bungling coach, clueless coordinator, poorly designed offense and inconsistent blocking.

Williams made matters worse on himself by trying to do too much ad libbing.

For that reason, being ranked 28th overall in an NFL.com article by Around the NFL writer Nick Shook that rated all 59 QB starters from last season was no big deal at first glance

However, when the quarterback ranked one slot better than Williams was none other than former Bears QB Justin Fields, it had to send out a shock wave that reached Halas Hall.

It's long been argued by a small group of Bears fans that they'd have been better off with Fields at quarterback in 2024 and with the cache of draft picks or other talent they might have gained by trading the pick they used for Williams.

This 27th rating for Fields definitely doesn't disprove their theories.

In ranking Williams No. 28, Shook seems almost to apologize for the tough situation the Bears QB was in during 2024.

"It's impossible to evaluate Williams' rookie year without acknowledging he didn't land in an ideal situation," Shook wrote.

It's almost a comical line considering how every analyst in the NFL world said Williams was going into the best situation ever for a QB drafted No. 1 overall.

"Among the many factors that worked against him in Year 1, Chicago's offensive line struggled to protect Williams early in the season, subjecting him to a significant amount of pressure and hits that may have broken a lesser prospect," Shook wrote. "In these moments, though, we saw glimpses of what makes Williams special. He's a magician when evading rushers and has an incredibly powerful arm that he often unleashed only after avoiding multiple defenders."

Shook did find fault, though.

And he also didn't heap tons of praise on Fields, who was a backup to Russell Wilson.

"He was clearly the lesser passer of the Steelers' two QBs this year, but he demonstrated value, which is paramount as he enters free agency," Shook wrote.

Fields had a career-best passer rating and completion percentage in his 10 games and six starts, going 106 of 161 for 1,106 yards, five TDs with one interception. His passer rating was 93.3.

Williams' passer rating was below Fields' rating, at 87.8. However, in becoming the first Bears quarterback since Jay Cutler to start every game, Williams had a passer rating well ahead of where Fields was as a Bears rookie (73.2) who had 12 games and 10 starts.

If this wasn't embarrassing enough, Williams also was behind three rookie QBs. Of course, Jayden Daniels was one. He was ranked fifth. Bo Nix and Drake Maye were both ranked ahead of Williams, but it wasn't even close.

Nix was 20th despite throwing twice as many interceptions (12) as Williams. And Maye was seven spots better than Williams in 21st despite throwing for more than 25 yards less per game and four more interceptions in four fewer games.

The rankings need to be taken with a big grain of salt.

Any ranking that had Bryce Young ranked in 16th, ahead of Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr couldn't have been done by someone paying close attention, or else it was done by a Panthers fan.

Young thew for a worse completion percentage (60.9%), five fewer touchdowns, three more interceptions and had worse passer rating (82.2) than Williams did. He also lost his starting job to Andy Dalton before getting it back and won one less game than Williams.

Shook trumpeted Young's turnaround, which was impressive. But it wasn't close to Williams' playing level with a dysfunctional team and wasn't as good as most of the other QBs ranked between Young and Williams.

The summary for Young sounded like Shook wrote it while wearing a No. 9 Panthers jersey.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

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.