Caleb Williams Still Searching for Accuracy Breakthrough

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is entering his second NFL season with accuracy under the spotlight. After completing just 62.5 percent of his passes as a rookie, Williams has yet to consistently reach the 70 percent threshold in training camp practices, according to Bears coach Ben Johnson.

“We’ve been underneath that bar,” Johnson said. “We’re learning, we’re growing. Early on we were probably 55 percent. It’s gotten better as camp has gone on, but we haven’t hit that threshold as often as we would like.”

The 70 percent number isn’t just a goal—it’s a benchmark. Across the NFL, only a handful of quarterbacks consistently live in that range, and most of them are considered among the league’s elite. Williams doesn’t need to transform into a quarterback like NFL legend Drew Brees overnight, but if Chicago is going to climb out of the offensive cellar, he must move closer to that standard.

A USC Trend That Carried Over

Accuracy questions aren’t new for Williams. Even at USC, where he piled up gaudy stats and a Heisman Trophy, efficiency was sometimes sacrificed for explosiveness. His completion percentages—64.5 percent at Oklahoma, 66.6 percent in his Heisman year, and 68.6 percent in 2023—were good, but never elite.

Scouts flagged that his accuracy dipped under pressure, and the numbers backed it up. His PFF grade under pressure dropped from 85.5 in 2022 to just 28.3 in 2023. Williams was dangerous when he could create outside the pocket, but ball placement often suffered when he was forced to win in rhythm.

The Rookie Reality

Williams’ rookie season with the Bears was a mixture of highlight plays and hard lessons. He threw for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns, but the inconsistencies were glaring:

• Completion Rate: 62.5 percent (bottom third among starters).
• Bad Pass Percentage: 18.7 percent of throws off-target, one of the highest rates in the NFL.
• Deep Ball Issues: Only 19 percent completion on deep left and right throws—last in the league.
• On-Target Impact: Rome Odunze led the NFL in off-target incompletions; D.J. Moore was close behind.

The Bears’ results reflected those struggles. Chicago averaged just 18.2 points per game (fourth-worst in the league) and ranked 31st in passing yards. The flashes were there, but too often drives died because of misses that should have been routine.

MORE: Updated Recruiting Rankings: Georgia Bulldogs, USC Trojans's Exciting 5-Star Commits

MORE: USC Trojans 5-Star Recruits Turning Heads With Prestigious Preseason Honor

MORE: NFL Insider's Urgent Message About Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson

MORE: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Reveals Team's Most Underrated Players

What This Season Must Look Like

That's why this season is less about the highlight reel and more about the down-to-down grind. Johnson’s system is designed to get the ball out quickly and take advantage of talented receiver duos like what the Bears have in Odunze and Moore. But if Williams is living in the mid-60s again, the Bears will be stuck in neutral.

The franchise doesn’t need him to be perfect—they need him to be precise. Adding even five percentage points to his completion rate would mean hundreds of extra yards, more sustained drives, and more scoring chances. In a division with the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all jockeying for playoff positioning, that kind of leap could be the difference between Chicago contending or collapsing again.

Williams has the arm to hit any throw on the field. But in 2025, the Bears don’t need the spectacular—they need the steady. If his accuracy finally catches up to his talent, Chicago’s offense could take off. If not, the same issues that haunted him at USC and as a rookie may keep holding the Bears back.