The Chicago Bears had every reason to be happy with Caleb Williams at the conclusion of the 2025 season. He’d set the franchise record for passing yards in a season with 3,942. He compiled 30 total touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His seven 4th quarterback comebacks was one of the highest marks for a season in NFL history, and he beat the Green Bay Packers twice. You won’t hear much criticism in Halas Hall or in Chicagoland. We already know what the media thinks: whatever gets the most engagement.
So what about people inside the NFL?
Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron got some answers to those questions during his visit to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX. The general vibe he got was that people were impressed with the progress Williams made, feeling he’s already put himself in the top 15 among NFL quarterbacks. However, there was one issue they had with his performance this year, and it isn’t what you think. It had nothing to do with his completion percentage. It was that he didn’t run the ball enough.
The Williams opinions this year were far more positive. Not as overly positive as Johnson, but I think the vast majority think Williams is going to be a very good quarterback. In fact, I didn’t hear anyone talk about Williams like he isn’t already a top-half QB1 in the league already. The debate was more, will this guy become an elite top 5 quarterback, or a very good borderline top ten quarterback?
There was plenty of talk about Williams needing to use his legs a little bit more often, and the obvious comments about cleaning up some of the easy and basic stuff that he misses sometimes, but you know what I didn’t hear once? “Yeah, but his completion percentage…” That was refreshing.
This criticism of Caleb Williams has some validity.
It is common knowledge that the Bears quarterback is mobile. That was a huge part of his game at USC, and he used it countless times this season to slither out of trouble. The issue is that he didn’t take more opportunities to make defenses pay on the ground. He settled for buying time to throw the ball. Here is the top ten quarterbacks for rushing attempts in the 2025 season. You might be shocked not just by how many rank ahead of Williams, but also by some of the names.
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| Quarterback | Rushing attempts |
| Josh Allen | 112 |
| Jalen Hurts | 105 |
| Drake Maye | 103 |
| Jaxson Dart | 86 |
| Justin Herbert | 83 |
| Bo Nix | 83 |
| Trevor Lawrence | 82 |
| Caleb Williams | 77 |
| Justin Fields | 71 |
| Lamar Jackson | 67 |
Don’t forget Jackson and Fields both didn’t play a full season. There is a strong likelihood Williams would’ve been even further down the list than he is. On top of that, seeing guys like Lawrence and Herbert ahead of him, two guys who have never really been known for running a lot, hammers home what the experts are saying. Williams is fast. He had the fastest carry of any quarterback all season at 21.01 mph. That was just shy of cracking the top ten among all players in the NFL. It was a weapon that went underutilized.
Williams’ commitment to being a passer first is admirable.
It’s also the correct way to think. However, smart quarterbacks understand that if their legs are a weapon, they should use them at every opportunity. Patrick Mahomes is a perfect example. The Chiefs never use designed runs with him, but the quarterback understands when he can use his feet to make plays. It is why Kansas City has been a nightmare to defend since he became a starter in 2018. Caleb Williams is considerably faster than him and has the same natural feel for evading defenders.
Continuing to operate from the pocket is the correct course of action. The trick for Williams is simple, if not always easy. Rather than buying time waiting for somebody to come open, if there is open space ahead of him, take it. Nobody is demanding he fight his way through defenders and take unnecessary hits. Get as many yards as possible and then hit the turf or get out of bounds.
If you don’t think this has an effect, look at Jay Cutler. In the two years he had the most rushing attempts as the Bears’ quarterback, he went 21-11, the only two winning records of his career. Defenses want one of two things: for the QB to stay in the pocket or just run all the time. That’s easy to defend. When you do both frequently, it becomes a big problem. That is where Williams must go.
