Caleb Williams has drawn comparisons to multiple quarterbacks throughout his journey. He models his game after Aaron Rodgers. Some see Russell Wilson. Others see Patrick Mahomes or John Elway. However, few people know the Chicago Bears quarterback better than Tim Jenkins. He has worked with Williams since his high school days. Jenkins trains quarterbacks to prepare for the NFL. Few have watched the young man develop as a talent more closely. His comparison isn’t what you might think.
Jenkins appeared on 670 The Score, where he talked about Williams. One aspect that often goes unmentioned is his exceptional arm talent. People were reminded of how ridiculous it is with that crazy touchdown pass to D.J. Moore against Cleveland. No player has displayed more pure ability to rip the football in this league for the past decade than Matthew Stafford. His mix of velocity and accuracy has allowed him to hit windows other quarterbacks wouldn’t even try. Williams is the same way, and it makes him so difficult to defend.
The parallels between Caleb Williams and Stafford go deeper than you think.
Aside from their arm talent, both were state champions in high school. Both played for storied programs (George and Oklahoma/USC). Both became #1 overall picks for down-and-out franchises that had ugly histories at the quarterback position. It doesn’t stop there. Stafford wasn’t known for consistent accuracy in his first two seasons, completing just 54.5% of his passes. Williams sits at 60.4%. We know what happened with Stafford from there. He became a Pro Bowler in his third season and led Detroit to its first playoff appearance in 12 seasons. He broke every franchise passing record before getting traded after more than a decade due to team mismanagement. His first year in Los Angeles, he won the Super Bowl.
His talent was always great. He merely needed the right coach to maximize it. For Stafford, it took 12 years. Luckily for Caleb Williams, the Bears may have skipped that part of the timeline by bringing in Ben Johnson. Ironically, the new head coach worked with Stafford for three years in Detroit. If Jenkins sees the similarities between the two, you can bet Johnson does. Williams is already on track to top every major stat from his rookie season by comfortable margins. If he follows the same track as Stafford, this offense will become even more dangerous.
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