The Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams as the #1 overall pick in the 2024 draft last April. Almost every draft expert agreed it was the right move. Most saw the former Heisman winner as the best prospect in the class, a ready-made franchise quarterback. Expectations have only grown since then. Many feel Williams is poised for a strong first season, with some even predicting he will get them to the playoffs. However, not everybody is on board the hype train. A couple of former players believe his season will be shaky.
Former defensive tackle Booger McFarland and former linebacker Bart Scott discussed the topic on ESPN Get Up. McFarland stated his belief that Williams would struggle while Jayden Daniels, the #2 pick in Washington, would find immediate success. His reasoning? Mainly because that is what happened last year with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. If that weren’t baffling enough, Scott piled on by saying he was unconvinced head coach Matt Eberflus could develop a quarterback better than Kliff Kingsbury. Of course, he didn’t bother to recall Kingsbury is the offensive coordinator in Washington, not the head coach.
First of all, McFarland completely disregards the supporting casts. Young had minimal help around him, especially at wide receiver, with a 33-year-old Adam Thielen being his best target. Meanwhile, Williams will have D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze as his top three options. Chicago also has a more stable offensive line, headlined by Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright at tackle. As for Scott, if he wants to compare QB developers, it should be Kingsbury against new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
In that case, Chicago has just as strong a situation as Washington. Waldron did a tremendous job in Seattle coaching Geno Smith and helping him make the Pro Bowl in 2022. Before that, he helped Jared Goff morph into an eventual Pro Bowler with the Rams. Eberflus may have a role in Caleb Williams’ development, but it isn’t fair to pin Justin Fields’ failures on him. He didn’t have any say in drafting the former Bears quarterback, and recent rumors out of Pittsburgh suggest he chose correctly by making a change.
There is a possibility Williams could struggle this year. Rookies do that. However, if you’re going to make that case, try to form an argument that actually makes sense.
