When the Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they did so because they believe he can change the narrative at the position for the organization as soon as he steps foot on the field.
Bears reporters and fans are beginning to come around to the idea after seeing him in action during the offseason program. But, will Williams be able to prove that to be true during his first season in the league?
Rookie quarterbacks entering the league traditionally take time before taking the league by storm, with the recent exceptions of Justin Herbert and CJ Stroud. Many in Chicago believe Williams will join those two and be able to do just that immediately.
However, some national writers are skeptical about how good Williams will actually perform during his rookie season, citing previous struggles that rookie quarterbacks have faced entering the league.
NFL.com writer Eric Edholm expressed some of those thoughts earlier this week by throwing a bucket of cold water on the expectations Williams is bringing into his rookie season. Edholm believes that the expectations for Williams seem high going into the 2024 season and should be hampered.
"Those expectations should be muted more than they seem to be right now. The past seven quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall, dating back to Jameis Winston in 2015, have produced an average Year 1 season of roughly 14 starts, 16 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and about 3,100 pass yards. Pretty tame numbers collectively, even with a few positive outliers in the group." NFL.com's Eric Edholm
Looking at some of the projections floating around for Williams' rookie season , the average stats Edholm shared are considerably low. Many project Williams to easily eclipse the 3,000 yard mark and shatter the team's rookie passing record.
The Bears would of course love to see that out of their rookie quarterback expecting him to start the season with firework performances. History says that might be wishful thinking and Edholm might have a point.
Williams and the Bears offense were still dealing with some issues learning offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's scheme the last time we saw the unit on the field. If those issues continue into the season, it could end up being a slow start for the unit.
Edholm believes that Williams rookie season will look similar to Jordan Love's first season as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Love started the season looking ordinary but was able to turn it around by the second-half of the season and finish as one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
The national writer isn't concerned about Williams' long-term outlook and believes the unit will eventually start to hum, but he seems to be against the idea that Williams will walk in and take the league by storm as soon as the season starts.
He makes plenty of great points, but the weapons Williams has within his offense is unlike anything recent rookies have ever seen. If the unit can figure out all their problems during training camp, nothing is stopping them from putting up some major numbers early in the season .
Related: Why haven't first-round picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze signed their rookie contracts with the Bears yet
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