Bears Landing Caleb Williams Is Looking Luckier By The Day
Picking a quarterback isn’t just about identifying the right talent. Timing can also play a huge part in finding the right guy. For years, the Chicago Bears have always seemed just a little too early or late to the party. They drafted Jim McMahon a year before John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly entered the NFL. They drafted Rex Grossman a year before Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger arrived. Then they drafted Justin Fields a year after Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts came in. That is why it felt somewhat fortuitous that the Bears managed to land the #1 overall pick in a year many felt the draft class was deep in talent. That is how they ended up with Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams Struggles as Bears Fans Grow Restless
While his rookie season was rough to watch at times, Chicago’s young quarterback has matured rapidly over the past few months. Since November 24th, he has 19 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.2. He also has two 4th quarter comebacks in his last five games. It’s looking more and more like he is a keeper. What makes drafting him look even better is how iffy the landscape of young quarterbacks has been after that year. Early returns from the 2025 class are meh. Cam Ward doesn’t look great in Tennessee. Jaxon Dart won his first start, but hardly carried the load. Nobody else has remotely stood out.
If that weren’t enough, the 2026 class is looking even worse based on the latest evidence.
- Drew Allar – Just lost to winless UCLA
- Arch Manning – Lost to 1-3 Florida and has 5 INTs in five games
- Garrett Nussmeier – Pedestrian stats and ugly game in loss to Ole Miss
- John Mateer – Injured
- LaNorris Sellers – Looked inconsistent all year with losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri
Don’t forget they had a chance to shoot their shot a year earlier in 2023. GM Ryan Poles chose to pass, trading the #1 pick to Carolina. They took Bryce Young, who is 7-25 as a starter with an 80.8 passer rating since the start of his second season. C.J. Stroud has had more team success, making the playoffs in back-to-back years, but his productivity has cratered since mid-October of last season. He has 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his last 15 games. Caleb Williams has soundly outplayed both of them.
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Poles deserves plenty of blame for Chicago’s continued struggles with winning football games. He has made lots of mistakes. However, it appears he may have picked his moment to grab a quarterback perfectly. Based on the information we have, 2024 was the absolute ideal time to take a swing. Every other year he’s been on the job has produced underwhelming classes. It looks like 2026 will be no different. Maybe karma was on the Bears’ side for the first time in decades.
Watson’s Achilles Recovery Brings Tension to Browns’ Roster
Deshaun Watson continues to showcase his recovery from an Achilles injury, fueling speculation about a looming clash with the Cleveland Browns.
Watson has been working his way back since suffering the initial injury in October. He re-injured the Achilles in January, and the Browns announced he would miss “significant time” during the coming season.
To open the year, Watson has been placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. While this does not rule him out for the season, it does guarantee he’ll miss at least the first four games.
Players on reserve/PUP cannot practice or play during that stretch. Afterward, teams have a five-week window to allow the player to begin practicing. Once he returns, the team has 21 days to decide whether to activate him to the 53-man roster or keep him on PUP for the remainder of the season.
Watson shared his latest recovery update on Wednesday, with his personal quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, posting the clip and writing, “Funny thing about life is. If you work hard enough it will all work out.”
Deshaun Watson Showdown Looming for Browns
Watson’s social media posts make it clear he intends to return. But even if he’s healthy, the Browns are not expected to hand him the starting job. Cleveland appears ready to move on and is already dealing with a convoluted QB situation. Owner Jimmy Haslam went as far as to call the 2022 trade for Watson a “swing and miss” this summer. Still, the fully guaranteed $230 million contract leaves the Browns in a difficult position.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk expects some significant tension if Watson is cleared to play this season.
“There could be a showdown in Cleveland over whether a guy is truly healthy,” Florio said. “I’m convinced that at some point this season, Deshaun Watson is going to show up with a clean bill of health and say, ‘I’m ready to go.’ Then they’ll have three choices: put him on the roster, cut him and take a $130 million cap charge next year, or fight back and say, ‘You’re not healthy.’
“He can’t force his way onto the field. My point is, he can force his way onto the team and the 53-man roster. If he’s healthy and his doctors support that he’s healthy, they can’t stash him on the PUP list if he tells the world he’s not physically unable to perform. That’s the little nugget of drama that is lurking for the Browns at some point this season. It could get interesting.”
Deshaun Watson Worked Out for Browns Brass
Throughout his recovery, Watson has stayed engaged at the team’s facility, participating in meetings and supporting his teammates. The Browns have commended him for the intensity of his rehab work and the value he brings to the QB room.
“Deshaun’s doing awesome, he’s doing great,” Stefanski said Tuesday. “I’m excited for him. I get to watch him work out as well. I get to be in the meeting room with him every single day. So, he’s doing great.”
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported that Watson recently went through a throwing workout, with general manager Andrew Berry, coach Kevin Stefanski and owner Jimmy Haslam looking on.
“What they saw was a quarterback who’s dropping back with agility and ease, and launching the ball downfield with good velocity,” Cabot said. “He looked good in the workout, and if they didn’t know any better, they never would’ve guessed that he had undergone surgery in January to repair his retorn Achilles.”
Cabot said Watson “could be ready to practice in late October or November.” That’s when the Browns may face a tough decision.
