Analyst names 'biggest wart' in Caleb Williams' game

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been the subject of criticism throughout the first half of 2025 coming off what was a disappointing rookie season for the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, ESPN's Ben Solak noted how "the biggest wart" in Williams' game as he went 5-12 across the first 17 starts of his pro career was his sack rate.

"He led the league in pressure dropbacks last season with 227, and that raw volume matters," Solak wrote. "The more a quarterback gets hit, the harder it is to trust his offensive line, and bad pocket habits blossom or worsen. But his 33.5 percent pressure rate was just above league average, and he was sacked on 30 percent of his pressures."

According to Solak, Williams' sack rate of 10 percent last season was better than only those possessed by Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns. The Titans are preparing to have rookie Cam Ward serve as their 2025 Week 1 starter, while Watson may never take another in-game snap for the Browns before those two sides part ways next year. 

Williams acknowledged earlier this spring that he "dropped a few tears" during the second half of his rookie season, in part because he "was just so beat-up mentally, physically, spiritually" as he took a league-high 68 sacks. This offseason, Chicago gave Williams advertised offensive guru Ben Johnson as a new head coach before the Bears acquired offensive lineman Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman.

For a piece published on May 12, Andrew Ites of Pro Football Focus wrote that the Bears should feature one of the league's most-improved offensive lines this coming season. As Solak pointed out, though, "habits die hard" for a young quarterback who "was accustomed to his play strength and quickness getting him out of trouble unfailingly at the college level." 

It remains to be seen if Johnson and Co. will be able to coach certain tendencies out of Williams before September. 

"Among 40 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks last season, Williams ranked 33rd in success rate, 30th in (expected points added) per dropback and 32nd in adjusted net yards per attempt -- pretty rough," Solak added. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Williams also ended this past regular season ranked 31st out of 36 qualified players with a 46.7 adjusted QBR. He tossed 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions over his 17 starts. 

Williams' current coaches reportedly feel that the 23-year-old improving his "presnap procedure" and his in-game "body language" will help him put all that went wrong last season behind him. If he fails to meet such expectations, a staff that didn't draft him may begin asking similar questions about his future with the club that have been voiced by some analysts this spring.