If you’re ready to jump off the Caleb Williams bandwagon after two games, take a deep breath, sit down, and read this before you tweet some nonsense. The Bears are 0-2. The fanbase is spiraling. And Williams? He’s getting blamed for everything from blown coverages to global warming.
But let’s back up and look at what actually matters. Because if you care about long-term success instead of knee-jerk reactions, this is exactly the kind of situation where you don’t bail. In fact, the growth is happening right in front of you — if you know where to look.
The Ugly Start Doesn’t Mean It’s Over
Yeah, the Bears got steamrolled 52-21 by Detroit. It sucked. The defense was Swiss cheese, the offense couldn’t stay consistent, and fans are already reminiscing about the Mitch Trubisky era like it was some golden age. But Caleb Williams is not the problem here.
Actually, his growth is one of the few signs of life. His deep-ball accuracy? Up from 26.7% as a rookie to 40% this season, which puts him in the top tier among QBs with at least two starts. He’s making better decisions, trusting his feet more, and progressing through reads like a grown-ass QB. Ben Johnson said it himself: Williams is showing “significant growth.”
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The Baker Mayfield Blueprint
Let’s talk about Baker for a second. His career arc should be gospel for Bears fans who want to throw Williams under the bus. Drafted #1 by Cleveland, Baker entered a tire fire. Coaching chaos, a toxic locker room, and a cursed franchise history. Sound familiar?
He had flashes early, then stalled. Sound familiar again?
But fast-forward to 2024 in Tampa Bay, and Mayfield finally found his groove: over 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a 106.8 passer rating. The dude was electric. And it didn’t happen because he magically got better overnight. It happened because he finally had stability, weapons, and a coach who wasn’t reinventing the damn playbook every six weeks.
That kind of transformation doesn’t just happen with talent. It happens with time. And that’s the key thing Caleb Williams deserves: time.
What Williams Is Already Showing
Let’s strip away the scoreboard and just look at what matters:
- Deep ball improvement: From dead-last to 7th in completion percentage on 20+ yard throws.
- Progression reads: Johnson praised him for getting to the 3rd and 4th reads. That’s huge.
- Processing speed: In rhythm throws (2.5-4.0 seconds), he’s making better decisions and completing passes at a higher clip.
- Interception decisions: The guy’s had a damn solid TD-to-INT ratio throughout his short career. That tells you he’s not just winging it out there.
These aren’t things you see in the box score. But they’re signs of a quarterback starting to figure it out.
History Screams for Patience
Chicago has fumbled quarterback development more times than the Lions have fumbled playoff games. Justin Fields? Showed steady growth, but the system around him never gave him a real shot to put it all together. Trubisky? Same deal.
Both had moments. Both flashed potential. But with unstable coaching, mediocre weapons, and poor protection, they were set up to fail as much as succeed.
Williams already looks like he’s got more raw upside than either of them. But even with better support, he needs something Chicago has rarely shown: actual patience.
Trust the Process (No, Really)
NFL history is littered with QBs who didn’t hit their stride until Year 2 or 3. Mahomes sat a year. Josh Allen was straight-up inaccurate until Year 3. Jared Goff looked like a bust until Sean McVay rolled into town.
So what do they all have in common? Patience, proper coaching, and a team that didn’t freak out after a couple bad Sundays.
That’s what the Bears are finally trying to give Williams. Ben Johnson knows what he’s doing. The offensive line got a real upgrade. There’s legit talent at receiver. For once, this isn’t an abandonment job. It’s a build.
Don’t Be the Problem
Fans want wins. I get it. But constantly torching young quarterbacks before they hit their stride is why the Bears haven’t had a franchise QB since… ever?
Williams is 23. He’s got 19 games under his belt. He just dropped two touchdowns on Detroit in a losing effort, showing command and growth even when everything around him fell apart. That’s not failure. That’s progress.
Plus, a lot of the fanbase gave Justin Fields four whole years to figure it out, and some are still on his bandwagon. (Don’t know why, though. Sixth-year QB just posted a QBR of 1.1 this week — worst in the NFL — but that’s beside the point.)
If you want a championship window, this is how you build one. Through growth. Through setbacks. Through learning how to win ugly before you win big.
Final Verdict
Baker Mayfield didn’t become a stud overnight. Neither will Caleb. But the signs are there. The coaching is finally competent. The weapons are decent. The improvements are real.
Don’t bail now.
Because if you do? You’re just helping the cycle repeat itself.
And I promise you, it’s a lot more fun being the fan who stuck it out when the QB turns into a monster, than being the guy who said “he ain’t it” after Week 2 and had to delete tweets come playoff time.
