The narrative against Caleb Williams has been persistent since he arrived in the NFL. Plenty of people have gone out of their way to say he's overhyped and was never really worthy of being the #1 overall pick, and his rookie season, which was easily the best in franchise history, somehow proved it. Now those arguments are falling apart. Williams is off to a good start in 2025, accounting for just shy of 1300 total yards, 11 touchdowns, two interceptions, and two 4th quarter comebacks.
After a 0-2 start to the season, he has guided the Chicago Bears to three straight victories. What stands out to former player Matt Bowen the most is how he's doing it. Most would assume Williams is relying on his gifts as a scrambler and improviser, as he has in years past. That isn't true. Much of his success has come from the pocket lately. What is really encouraging is how the quarterback has already learned to do something usually reserved for the best quarterbacks in the game.
Bowen explained on 670 The Score.
Caleb Williams has learned to use his entire arsenal.
Monday night in Washington was a perfect example. No less than eight different Bears caught a pass in that game. Six of them were targeted at least three times. Caleb Williams didn't show favoritism to anybody, which is usually not the case with young quarterbacks. You'll often find that in their early years, there was always one or two guys they leaned on heavily. Matt Ryan was always looking for Roddy White. Andrew Luck was always looking for Reggie Wayne. Patrick Mahomes was looking for Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce.
It is no small thing that Caleb Williams has already learned the value of spreading the ball around. These are things greats like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers became famous for. The value was that it kept defenses on their heels, as they had no way of knowing where the ball was likely to go. Once you force the opponent to defend the entire field, life becomes much easier as a quarterback. For Williams to be embracing this strategy so early in his career is a big deal.
