Commentary: Caleb Williams poised to make Bears history |
Not only do the Chicago Bears have one of the oldest franchises in NFL History, but they also have one of the most successful and decorated ones. Sure, their lone Lombardi trophy may not tell the entire story, but this is a team that won its share of NFL Titles before the Superbowl even became a thing.
Throw in the most Hall of Famers of any team, and you can see how much success this team has had in their history. Despite all of the excellent history, there is some bad that comes with it and you can look straight at the QB position for the bad history. Whether that be whiffing on Mitch Trubisky in 2017 or failing to develop Justin Fields properly, the Bears have never had luck at the QB position, as they are the only team in NFL history to never have a 4000-yard passer. You heard that right: a franchise that has been in the league for more than 100 years has never had a 4000-yard passer before, which is simply hard to fathom. The closest the team came to having a guy like that was when Jay Cutler was under center. He had several seasons of more than 3500 yards passing but could never reach the magic number of 4000 yards. Given how offensively friendly the NFL is now, especially in the passing game, it is hard to believe the Bears haven't had a player capable of delivering a season like that so far. That all could change in 2024, as the Chicago Bears' top pick, Caleb Williams, is poised to make history this season and is striving to become the first 4,000-yard passer in team history. That is a lofty goal for a rookie, for sure, but when you look at his overall skill set and the offense this team has assembled, it may not be out of reach for the first-year starter. When Cutler had the success he was having, the Bears were loaded on offense, with Matt Forte at RB and guys like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey at WR. Those two alone were capable of going off for 1000 yards in a season, which made it easier for Cutler to fire the ball downfield. Since their departure, the Bears offensive success has been minimal at best although DJ Moore proved he was a legitimate NO. 1 WR option last season. Then came this offseason, where the Bears not only signed D'Andre Swift as their go-to RB but turned around and traded for Keenan Allen. They then went out and drafted Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick in the NFL draft, giving the Bears one of the league's youngest and most explosive group of playmakers. Like Moore, Allen is a proven player who will give you 1000 yards every season when healthy. Chicago should be fine with having multiple 1,000-yard receivers this season, but what about Odunze? Seen as one of the best, if not the best, WRs in this year's draft class, Odunze has all the attributes you look for in a top-flight WR, and with guys like Moore and Allen on the field, he should have plenty of opportunities to make plays. Odunze may not be a 1,000-yard player just yet, but when all is said and done, he also has the potential to be a 1,000-yard man, giving the Bears three legitimate WR options. Throw in Cole Kmet, who is a 600-700-yard TE option, and the additions of Gerald Everett and Swift, and the Bears' starting offensive group will come close to 4000 yards in receiving production by themselves. Anytime you have the kind of talent the Bears have on offense, you wonder if there are enough footballs to go around, but that is a good problem to have. Williams will go through his struggles like most rookies do, but he has also been given the best supporting cast of any Rookie quarterback. Even if he doesn't reach 4K yards this season, there is no question that he has the best shot of any QB to do that, given what he has to work with. If there was ever a QB in Chicago to reach this feat, Williams is it, as this could be the most talented offense in Chicago Bears history. However, should he not develop properly or fail to deliver the way the Bears expect him to, you have to start wondering if 4000 yards passing in Chicago will ever be achieved.
