Bears' Marcedes Lewis shares why he's excited to play with Caleb Williams

During a recent appearance on "The Jim Rome Podcast," veteran Chicago Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis shared how excited he is to play alongside rookie quarterback Caleb Williams this coming season.

"From a talent standpoint, he has everything it takes to be great," Lewis said about Williams, as shared by Bobby Kownack of the NFL's website. "Obviously, me being a UCLA [guy], I watched the USC games when he was there. Just the arm talent and the off-platform throws, the leadership on the field, I think that's going to serve him well. … I have no doubt that he's going to go out there and do his thing, and us as a team, we have to get better and elevate our games so it's an easy transition for him. I'm looking forward to it."

The Bears hit somewhat of an organizational reset when they traded signal-caller Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick in March before they made Williams the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft.

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Williams as the betting favorite at +135 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the upcoming season.

As for Lewis, he turned 40 years old this past spring but re-signed with Chicago in June. Per Todd Brock of Cowboys Wire/USA Today, Lewis needs only four more regular-season appearances to break the record for tight ends in that category currently held by former Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten.

"The record will represent consistency, gratitude, durability and mindset," Lewis explained. "…I'm sure when it's all said and done and my career is done, I'll be able to really enjoy the fruits that I've been able to bear, but the job's not done yet. I'm looking forward to this season and having a healthy season, a dominant season from the tight end position, and then hopefully getting one more year and retiring after 20 [seasons]."

On Monday morning, DraftKings had the Bears at -120 odds to make the playoffs for this season. Lewis hopes to help Williams guide Chicago to at least a postseason berth in his first campaign as a pro.