The Chicago Bears have gone all-in on second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. After drafting him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the franchise has been aggressive in building out a roster around him.
During the 2025 NFL offseason, the Bears completely revamped their offensive line. They traded for both Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, while also signing Drew Dalman in free agency.
Bringing in more protection for Williams was needed. Chicago is hoping to see the young quarterback take a big leap forward in year two.
So far during training camp, a lot of negative videos have surfaced showing Williams struggling. There is a lot of growing concern about how the young quarterback has looked.
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With that being said, a new comparison has been made that doesn’t shine a good light on Williams.
During a recent appearance on “The Herd,” Jason McIntyre of FS1 spoke out and revealed that he seems some of Johnny Manziel in Williams. That obviously is not a glowing endorsement, as Manziel was a huge draft bust for the Cleveland Browns.
“The Bears are treating Caleb Williams like a rookie, so he has to unlearn everything he learned last year,” McIntyre said. “Obviously, some of the videos aren’t great. The net-missing video isn’t ideal, but I have a comparison that’s scary — though not off base, I think. Some pocket passing stats from Caleb Williams: 24th in passer rating, 29th in yards per attempt in the pocket, and 25th in completion percentage in the pocket. That’s out of 34 quarterbacks, guys.”
McIntyre continued forward, revealing his comparison of Manziel for Williams.
“That’s why my comparison is a little bit Johnny Football, some Johnny Manziel. I just wonder if Caleb is so on edge in the pocket that his confidence is shot, and his default is, ‘Let me just tuck and run and see if I can make a play.’ Because that’s what happened to Manziel, and he flamed out very quickly.”
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At this point, the Bears can only hope that McIntyre is proved wrong. Williams will have every chance to do just that in 2025.
If Chicago ends up missing on Williams, the franchise will be in deep trouble. He showed flashes of star potential as a rookie, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. But, there were plenty of questions coming out of his rookie season as well.
Only time will tell what kind of player Williams can develop into for the Bears. With the comparison to Manziel now out in public, he will be under more pressure to take a year two leap and shut up all of his critics and doubters.
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