The Chicago Bears have an illustrious history on the defensive side of the football over the years. One of their players has won Defensive Player of the Year three times. One of their players has won Defensive Rookie of the Year three times. Not to mention the countless Pro Bowl and All-Pro seasons. The same can’t be said for the offensive side of the ball. Since 1972, only one player has won Offensive Player of the Year. That was Walter Payton. Only one player has won Offensive Rookie of the Year since 1967. That was Anthony Thomas in 2001. It hasn’t been a fun time for Bears fans watching that side of the ball over the years. Experts seem to think that is about to change with Caleb Williams.
He is one of the most highly touted quarterback prospects to come out of college in years. Many consider him to be in the same conversation as Andrew Luck. His success at Oklahoma and USC speaks for itself. He enters a pretty good situation in Chicago with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. If he is as good as the experts say, this should be a strong first year for him. ESPN polled 12 analysts, asking who they thought would win Rookie of the Year.
Half of them chose Williams.
Bell: Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears. Given that I picked the Bears as the rookie class to make the biggest impact in 2024, it stands to reason that the leader of that class will lead the charge and garner the OROY honors. His supporting cast extends well beyond fellow rookie receiver Rome Odunze; veteran pass-catchers such as receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore will help showcase Williams’ talent.
Bowen: Williams. Williams is set up in Chicago with proven pass-catchers and explosive play targets. He has the undeniable talent to create as a playmaker outside of the structure, and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can keep him on schedule from the pocket with defined reads and play-action throws. I expect Williams to produce high-level numbers — for a playoff team — in his first pro season.
Moody: Williams. I agree with many of my colleagues here in choosing Williams. A quarterback has won the award in three of the past five seasons. Williams is well positioned for success with Moore and offseason additions Allen and Odunze.
Jason Reid: Williams. The Bears have set up the first overall pick to succeed. With the ninth overall selection, they added the gifted Odunze to a receiving corps that already included veterans in Moore and Allen, and solid tight end Cole Kmet. Productive running back D’Andre Swift also will help the rookie passer thrive.
Tannenbaum: Williams. I believe he has the ability, leadership and poise to guide the Bears to a material improvement in offense and wins. He is going to have to demonstrate rare mental toughness and resilience, as everything he does will be magnified in a city that has been searching for a franchise quarterback.
Walder: Williams. I’m tempted to pick one of the wideouts, but we’ve seen in the past how big an advantage quarterbacks have in this award — Justin Herbert winning the 2020-21 award over Justin Jefferson comes to mind — so I think Williams is the best bet here, especially because he already has a strong supporting cast.
Caleb Williams would join interesting company if this happens.
Since 2000, ten quarterbacks have won Offensive Rookie of the Year. They were Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud. Two of those names will likely end up in the Hall of Fame. Another won an MVP. Another two have gone to multiple Pro Bowls. It is usually a good sign for the future if your quarterback wins this honor. If a Bears quarterback did it? Society might break down.
Everything seems to be going in Caleb Williams’ favor. He has a loaded cast of weapons, and his offensive line is returning four starters. The one variable that people aren’t sure about is new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. He did solid work in three years for the Seahawks, even getting a Pro Bowl out of Geno Smith. Still, it is hard to know if he will utilize Williams properly. He doesn’t have the same reputation as Andy Reid did when they took Patrick Mahomes. If he pushes the right button, this will be a fun season.
I hope we’re not all getting ahead of ourselves. There are a lot of variables that come into play. The biggest is that he stays healthy through 17+ games. Another is that he’s coached properly. On paper, this all sounds great but he’s got to prove it first at the NFL level. I for one am hoping he succeeds.
On paper, it is all true. Now is there any way to still strengthen the offensive line via roster cuts?