Caleb Williams made significant strides during his second season in the NFL, and the Bears' quarterback has started to earn respect from his peers in the league.
After the 2025 NFL season, Caleb Williams has started to earn the respect from his NFL peers.
The Chicago Bears’ quarterback finished last season by breaking the team’s single-season passing record that stood for 30 years. He led his team on seven fourth-quarter comebacks, earning himself the nickname ‘Iceman’ for those performances. Williams defeated the Green Bay Packers twice, including the playoff victory at Soldier Field.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft showed his team and the rest of the NFL what he could do, regardless of time remaining on the clock. The opposition has taken notice.
Washington Commanders defensive Charles Omenihu recently joined Emmanuel Acho on his show “Speakeasy,” and was asked to name his top five scariest quarterbacks in the league to face, and he couldn’t include Patrick Mahomes because Omenihu played with the Chiefs’ quarterback for the last three seasons.
In no particular order, Omenihu named Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford to start. He thought for a few seconds and then said Lamar Jackson. To finish off his list, the Commanders’ defensive end chose Williams.
“I got to put my guy Caleb Williams up there,” Omenihu said. “I ain’t going to lie to you, bruh, like somebody who has shown over and over and over that it ain’t over until the fat lady sings, and he can run, and he can make every throw, every single throw. That’s somebody that you got, I respect the hell out of his game. After this past year, I respect his game crazy. …”
Omenihu also mentioned that Williams throws “dots” and then will hit his opponents with his ‘Iceman’ celebration.
This may just be the opinion of one defensive player in the league, but it speaks to volumes on the ripple effect the Bears’ quarterback has created in the league after playing just his second season. Unlike the other four quarterback Omenihu mentioned, he has never played Williams in the regular season, but yet he made the defensive end’s top five scariest quarterback list.
That’s not just a sign of respect but also a far different connotation when opposing teams and players think about the Bears’ quarterback position. Even though someone like former Bears QB Justin Fields could hurt a defense with his running ability, it’s not as impactful as what Williams can do as a passer and on the ground. And the Bears’ quarterback has shown he doesn’t need much time on the clock to completely flip a game.
If other defensive players had to name their top five scariest quarterback to face, it wouldn’t be surprising if Williams’ name came up. That’s what’s unique about this Bears team – Chicago has a quarterback that demands respect, and Williams has a opportunity to cement himself as one of the top players in the league as he continues to develop with head coach Ben Johnson by his side.