There was a time in NFL history when passing for 4,000 yards was considered a novelty. Joe Namath was the first to do it during the 1967 season. It wouldn't happen again until Dan Fouts pulled it off in 1979. The floodgates opened after the NFL altered its rules to free up wide receivers in 1978. Since then, throwing for 4,000 yards has become far easier. Every franchise in the NFL has seen it happen at least once. Well, every franchise except the Chicago Bears. In over a century of existence, no quarterback has managed to reach that elusive mark. Erik Kramer came the closest with 3,838 in 1995. Jay Cutler is the only other one even to crack 3,800. Fans are hopeful Caleb Williams will finally be the one to end the misery.
He certainly has the ability. The #1 overall pick is easily the most highly-touted prospect the Bears have ever drafted at quarterback. Many see him as the same caliber as Andrew Luck. He has arm strength, accuracy, and a natural instinct to make plays. It is difficult to pinpoint how high expectations should be for him as a rookie. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report decided to go all in.
"There are going to be growing pains. Early games where Williams struggles. And the youngster needs to be leery of turnovers.
But the Bears have made an effort to put Williams in position to succeed—so there are going to be flashes of what the Bears hope is the franchise's long-term future as well.
Projected Stats: 63.6 completion percentage, 4,002 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 354 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns"
That would certainly set the tone for Caleb Williams.
Bears fans are having a hard time genuinely believing anything will be different. They've been burned at quarterback so many times that an air of pessimism persists around the franchise. Mitch Trubisky was supposed to be the savior. Justin Fields was supposed to be the savior. Both flopped. Williams is fighting against decades of ugly franchise history. That said, the young man does have one big advantage. He's walked into easily the best situation any Bears quarterback has had in over a decade.
D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze make up his receiving corps. Cole Kmet is at tight end. D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson form a well-balanced backfield. The offensive line returns four starters, including two quality tackles. This offense is equipped with enough talent to help a young quarterback thrive. All Caleb Williams has to do is not completely suck. If he can grasp the new offense, read defenses at a reasonable speed, and utilize his obvious talents, cracking 4,000 yards isn't impossible.
