Bear Digest

4 moves the Chicago Bears must make to set up Caleb Williams for a breakout 2025

Alan Goldsher

The Chicago Bears need to build a roster that can take second-year QB Caleb Williams next-level
The Chicago Bears need to build a roster that can take second-year QB Caleb Williams next-level / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
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Haters, take note: Caleb Williams had one helluva rookie year.

Yeah, he didn’t hit the rarified air of fellow freshman Jayden Daniels, but Williams showed out statistically...and numbers matter. Just look where the dude ranked among his fellow starting signal callers in four key categories last season:

  • Completed passes: 10th (ahead of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson)
  • Passing yards: 16th (ahead of Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa)
  • Passing touchdowns: 11th (ahead of Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa)
  • Passer rating: 23rd (ahead of C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence)

Yeah, those aren’t Pro Bowl digits, but it’s concrete proof that the USC product didn't deserve the abuse he took on social media.

Room For Improvement

That said, the former Heisman Trophy winner is a work in progress. He needs to improve his decision-making, his sack avoidance, his footwork, and his downfield accuracy.

Fortunately, Bears GM Ryan Poles has put Williams in a position to do just that, hiring Ben Johnson as head coach, who, as an offensive coordinator in Detroit, turned Jared Goff into an MVP candidate. And, newsflash, unlike Williams, Goff isn’t what you’d call an explosive athlete, something Goff himself acknowledged way back in 2018.

Williams offers Coach Johnson plenty to work with—and Coach Johnson offers Williams plenty to work with—but neither can take the quarterback’s game next-level without some additional reinforcements.

We’re all well aware that Poles needs to improve Chicago’s trenches (we can’t have another 68-sack season, can we?), but there are some available offensive and special teams options that could help set Caleb up for a brilliant sophomore season.

Land a Lightning-Quick Wide Receiver

D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze—Chicago’s WR1 and WR2—are Swiss Army knives: They’re fast, they have hops, they have good hands, and they have size.

What they don’t have is prime Tyreek Hill-level speed.

Granted, those kind of quicks are rare, but Poles needs to bring in a blurry-fast downfield threat who can open up the field for Williams—and that guy could be free agent Hollywood Brown and his (estimated) 4.3 40-yard-dash.

Texas’ Isaiah Bond could be an intriguing option at the Draft, and should be available on day two.  

Bring In a Versatile Running Back

D’Andre Swift isn’t The Man, period.

Swift is a decent RB2, but Williams needs a reliable RB1 to relieve the pressure (both literally and figuratively), and that could be a free agent like Najee Harris or a rookie like Omarion Hampton.

Or, if Poles is feeling frisky, he can really open up the running game and grab Ashton Jeanty in the first round.

Get a Legit TE1

Cole Kmet wasn’t, isn’t, and never will be a top-ten tight end, which is a bummer, as while he was in Detroit, Johnson proved that he can do wonders with a legit TE like Sam LaPorta.

The 2025 crop of free agent tight ends isn’t super-inspiring—Zach Ertz? Tyler Conklin? Juwan Johnson?—so Chicago will need to address the position on Draft weekend.

It’s doubtful Poles would spend his first round pick on a tight end (he shouldn’t), but it might not be a bad idea to target Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. in round three.

Jazz Up the Return Game


The Bears need a consistent returner to give Caleb consistent quality field position, and the 24-year-old version of Devin Hester ain’t walking through the doors of Halas Hall anytime soon, so moves must be made.

If Hollywood Brown decamps in Chicago, he might just be that guy, whether he likes it or not. (Nobody except Hester likes returning kicks. Just saying.)

In terms of the draft, TCU’s Savion Williams has the speed and size to make an immediate impact in the return game, and should be available when the Bears are on the clock in the third round.

These are reasonable, imaginative, slick, affordable moves that will help position Caleb Williams to make the second-year leap.

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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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