Caleb Williams Projected To Immediately Reach A Peyton Manning Milestone

The Chicago Bears believe Caleb Williams has greatness in him. That is why they took him #1 overall and didn't bother meeting privately with anybody else. They'd spent years evaluating the USC quarterback. Talent was never the issue. He has enough to match any player at the position in this league. It was a question of whether he had the intelligence, resilience, and leadership qualities to lead a franchise. Everybody they spoke to in Williams' orbit insisted he was the real deal. GM Ryan Poles did the homework. The rest was a formality.

All people can do now is wonder what Williams will accomplish as a rookie. He walks into arguably the best situation a #1 overall pick has ever had. D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet make up his top passing targets. D'Andre Swift will be his primary running back, fresh off 1,000 yards last season. His offensive line returns four starters. Last but not least, the defense is the strongest it's been in years. This team is ready for success. They merely need him to play well. According to Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated, he will pull a Peyton Manning right out of the gate.

8. Caleb Williams will throw for the same number of touchdown passes as another rookie who wore No. 18 …

Peyton Manning threw 26 during his rookie season in 1998 (along with, many forget, 28 interceptions). Should Williams throw 28 picks, I would imagine the entirety of the Chicago Bears’ building would be cleaned out. How times have changed. Anyway, Williams has a great weapon set at his disposal and an offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron who really came into his own after the departure of Russell Wilson from Seattle. 

Caleb Williams would send a message with a season like that.

Remember, only two quarterbacks in Bears history have reached the 26-TD milestone. Erik Kramer had 29 in 1995, still the franchise record. Jay Cutler had 28 in 2014. If Williams manages to become the third as a rookie? That will drive the hype even higher. It sounds like wishful thinking. No Bears rookie QB has ever managed more than 11 touchdowns in a season across more than a century. Now Williams is supposed to become only the fourth rookie in NFL history to hit the 26 mark. Manning was the first, Russell Wilson was the second, and Justin Herbert was third—pretty elite company.

Bears fans aren't arrogant enough to expect Caleb Williams to do that. It wouldn't be fair. Rookies need time to develop. They know the NFL level is different. What they want is for him to stay healthy and show steady improvement throughout the season. If he can cross 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns while keeping the interceptions low, that would be a big win in their eyes. Anything beyond that would be a bonus. If he cracks 26 touchdowns, they may not know how to react.