NFL evaluators voted Caleb Williams as a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, citing his league-leading fourth-quarter comebacks and elite arm talent as reasons the dynamic young star is transforming the Chicago Bears' offense.
Caleb Williams is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
That's according to the NFL executives, coaches and scouts who participated in ESPN's top-10 positional ranking series.
NFL evaluators voted Williams as the No. 10 quarterback right now in the league.
Under coach Ben Johnson, the Bears' quarterback set the franchise single-season passing record (3,942 yards), throwing 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Williams also added 388 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 77 attempts.
The 10th spot in ESPN's rankings was not an obvious choice as Williams, Seattle's Sam Darnold, Green Bay's Jordan Love and Washington's Jayden Daniels were close in voting.
ESPN reached out to general managers and executives for a tie breaker. The Bears' quarterback beat out the competition because "he's the hardest of the four for teams to prepare for and defend."
"He's the most dynamic of the group," one GM said, via ESPN. "He's got the arm talent and overall athleticism suited for today's game."
Williams earned the 'Iceman' nickname from his teammates for his play in the final moments of games. The 24-year-old quarterback led the NFL with seven fourth-quarterback comebacks (including the playoffs).
"He's a closer," an NFL personnel evaluator said, via ESPN. "End of games, he has shown that."
Johnson's offense is all about creating explosives -- chunk plays that get down the field quickly. The Bears' passing offense generated 60 big plays that went for 20 or more yards, fifth most in the NFL. His 11 touchdowns thrown at least 20 yards downfield were two more than any other quarterback last season, according to ESPN.
Although Williams was flooded with tons of information while learning a new offense, he still produced positive results. His ability to avoid sacks, reducing his total number from a league-high 68 his rookie year to just 24 last season, allowed Johnson to keep his play book open and on schedule.
Williams has thrown just 13 interceptions the last two seasons, and the Bears committed a league-low 11 giveaways in 2025.
The Bears' quarterback is entering just his third season in the NFL, so he still has plenty of areas he must improve. His 58.1 completion percentage ranked 40th among quarterbacks with at least 136 dropbacks. Williams also finished with a 20.2% off-target rate, ranking 37th out of 38 quarterbacks last season.
"Wildly erratic," a veteran NFL defensive coach said, via ESPN. "Doesn't always take the layups and still needs to mature into the position. [He] has some of those 'what is he doing?' plays. But he also makes plays only he and Mahomes can make. [He] can throw from any angle, deceptively fast when forced to scramble and he's got the 'it' factor in crunch time."
Williams was ranked as high as six and unranked in the quarterback positional rankings, and it was a slim margin for the 10th overall spot. That just means there is opportunity for the Bears' quarterback to further solidify his status among his peers. Williams can climb the rankings with another strong season under Johnson this upcoming season.
