Chicago Bears quarterback recognized recent criticism about his play on social media. Here's why these latest viral comments are off base.
Caleb Williams is on social media like everyone else.
The Chicago Bears' quarterback also sees and hears what people are saying about him. On Thursday afternoon, the 24-year-old retweeted a clip on X of former NFL offensive lineman and color commentator Mark Schlereth critiquing how Williams plays the quarterback position on the "Stinkin' Truth Podcast with Mark Schlereth."
"Caleb Williams is not a good quarterback," Schlereth said. "He's a dynamic athlete. He makes big-time plays, but is he a good quarterback? No, he's not a good quarterback because he doesn't play on schedule. Like, I mean, my evaluation is watch how many times they get into a late in the third quarter, late in the fourth quarter and they're down 21-7, right? And then he holds the ball, scrambles around, he makes three big throws and all of a sudden they win a game 21-24.
Like, that's not playing quarterback at an efficient level. That's being a dynamic playmaker. So at this particular point in time, Caleb Williams isn't a good quarterback. If you were ranking that class, you'd put Jayden Daniels ahead of him. You'd put Drake Maye ahead of him. I'd put Bo Nix ahead of him. This generational talent who's supposed to be a great quarterback, he's not a great quarterback. He's a great playmaker, and when it comes to off-schedule football, the guy is probably as good as it gets. He is Kyler Murray with more height."
Whoever was public enemy number one for Bears fans, that person is now replaced because Schlereth will be at the top of the list.
The former offensive lineman also brought up Williams' completion percentage (58.1) -- a common talking point for critiques. He also brought up Jared Goff's completion percentage while Ben Johnson was the offensive play caller with the Detroit Lions.
Does Williams need to continue to improve? Yes. No doubt about it. Playing on schedule at a more consistent rate is something Johnson and Williams are prioritizing going forward.
But let's dissect this take piece by piece. Like Williams, Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. Sean McVay coached Goff for four seasons before he was traded to Detroit. When Johnson became the offensive coordinator/play caller in 2022, Goff was in his seventh year in the NFL. He completed 65.1% of his passes, threw for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The 65.1% completion percentage was the lowest of Goff's career since he has been in Dertoit. Now, that's higher than Williams' first year in Johnson's offense, but it would be naive to disregard Goff's prior NFL experience and being coached by McVay.
Williams was coached by Matt Eberflus and ran Shane Waldron's offense in his rookie season. That's the exact opposite of an apples to apples situation when compared to Goff.
Johnson has called Williams an "eraser" because of his ability to make offensive play calls right, even when the defense has the advantage. That type of playmaking doesn't happen if the quarterback only plays on schedule.
Not all quarterbacking needs to look the same. Think about Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to name a few. All dynamic playmakers who also can make plays from within the pocket.
That's Williams' next step and exactly what he needs to prove this upcoming season. It helps that Williams is just 24 years old and entering his second season with Johnson as his head coach and play caller.
Schlereth clearly caught Williams' attention with his comments. All Williams can do now is respond on the football field by proving that he is not just a playmaker but a dynamic quarterback.
