Nick Wright: Caleb Williams being ‘just fine’ is a disaster

Last year, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams struggled through a roller-coaster of a rookie season.

There were plenty of impressive peaks, where Williams showed off the rare talent and playmaking ability that won him a Heisman Trophy at USC, and made him the No. 1 overall pick. There were also some head-scratching moments, as should be expected with any rookie quarterback.

After making some massive improvements to his supporting cast, both in terms of the roster and the coaching staff, Williams was expected to make a massive leap in Year 2.

There have been some improvements, but it’s not good enough for Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright over at Fox Sports, who believe that Williams still isn’t living up to his predraft projections:

Williams is on pace to throw for more touchdown passes than he did as a rookie last season, but also more interceptions. He’s completing a lower percentage of his passes compared to his rookie campaign, but still showing some of those big-play flashes that got everyone excited in the beginning.

From a team standpoint, the Bears were riding a four-game winning streak before last week’s disappointing loss to a Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens team that had only one win to their name prior to Sunday’s game. They’re still 4-3, with plenty of time to string together more wins and remain in the playoff hunt in the NFC.

If Williams never becomes more than a middle-of-the-pack starter in the NFL, would that be a disappointment for the Bears?

Absolutely.

But let’s wait longer than a season and a half to pass that judgement, and see what Williams grows into under Ben Johnson and company.