Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams reportedly apologized to his teammates in a team meeting for his part in the offense's struggles after offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

Per that report, "Teammates were very impressed by the accountability and his decision to do that."

The 22-year-old rookie has had his ups and downs this season, throwing for 1,785 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 60.5 percent of his passes and taking 38 sacks. His 38.4 QBR ranks 29th among qualified quarterbacks, ahead of only Gardner Minshew (37.7), Will Levis (31.7) and Deshaun Watson (22.4).

The Bears, in the process, are 4-5.

Few people have laid the blame solely on Williams, of course. Waldon's scheme had significant issues, offensive line play has been spotty and head coach Matt Eberflus is undoubtedly on the hot seat.

"Third playcaller, and I take full accountability for that," Eberflus told reporters Wednesday after firing Waldron and appointing Thomas Brown to offensive coordinator, the third OC the team has had this calendar year. "I take full responsibility for that, and it's got to get better. The details of creativity have to improve, and it's got to improve this week."

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that under Brown, the "goal will be to get back to basics for Williams, as his transition from college to professional football has been a bit steeper than anticipated."

He added that "the focus, sources say, is to simplify, and going back to basics is how Brown put it in a team meeting earlier this week."

Williams has to own his part of the team's struggles, and he reportedly has. But the entire Bears offense clearly needed a new direction as well.

The Chicago Bears intend to get rookie quarterback Caleb Williams "back to basics" under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"The focus, sources say, is to simplify, and going back to basics is how Brown put it in a team meeting earlier this week," Rapoport reported.

The NFL insider added that elevating Tyson Bagent to the starting role was discussed "in a broader context" within the organization. The idea "was never truly considered," however, and only one piece of a "thorough evaluation."

The Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers demoted Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young respectively earlier this year with both falling short of expectations. Both have reclaimed the starting job.

That benching Williams was a possibility at any level speaks to how his season is unfolding. Through nine games, the No. 1 overall pick has 1,785 passing yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions with his team sitting at 4-5. Williams has gone three straight games without a passing touchdown.

Amid the unit's wider struggles, head coach Matt Eberflus fired Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator less than a full year after bringing him onto the staff. For Brown, no objective is bigger than getting Williams' development back on track.

Even if the Bears go on to miss the playoffs, the campaign can be chalked up as a success somewhat if the 22-year-old begins to look more like a true franchise QB.

Fans will get their first opportunity to see Chicago's new-look and more simplified offense in Sunday's highly anticipated clash with the Green Bay Packers.

Now halfway through the 2024 NFL season, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. did a redraft of this past April's draft during Thursday's First Draft and bumped quarterback Jayden Daniels to No. 1 overall ahead of Caleb Williams.

The Chicago Bears quarterback only dropped one slot to No. 2, followed by Drake Maye, Marvin Harrison Jr., Joe Alt, Malik Nabers, JC Latham, Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze and Bo Nix.

That left his redraft identical to the actual draft from Nos. 3-9 in terms of the order of players selected, with Nix bumping out J.J. McCarthy at No. 10.

Daniels getting the bump up over Williams is no big surprise. The Washington Commanders' rookie has been brilliant, throwing for 2,147 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 68.7 percent of his passes and taking 20 sacks. He's also rushed for 464 yards and four scores and led his team to a 7-3 record.

Williams has faced his fair share of struggles in Chicago, meanwhile, throwing for 1,785 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions across nine games, completing 60.5 percent of his passes while taking an NFL-worst 38 sacks. The Bears are 4-5 in his starts and rank 24th in points, 30th in total yards and 31st in third-down conversion rate.

One of the most interesting decisions from Kiper was to keep Harrison at No. 4 and Nabers at No. 6, rather than flipping them. The former has had 33 catches for 499 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games this year, while the latter has posted better stats (61 catches for 607 yards and three scores) in fewer games played (eight).

Nabers has also made some ridiculous catches, hinting at an upside that might just be higher than Harrison has shown:

Finally, Nix has earned his promotion into the top 10 over the injured McCarthy, throwing for 1,968 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, completing 63.6 percent of his passes and taking just 17 sacks while leading the Denver Broncos to a surprising 5-5 record.

The Chicago Bears reportedly discussed benching rookie quarterback Caleb Williams amid the team's three-game losing streak.

"There were conversations. I don't know how close they got, but yes, there were conversations about whether one of the solutions was to bench the quarterback," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday during Get Up. "But to bench him to give him a break, to try and save him."

Williams, 22, has thrown for 1,785 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions across nine games, completing 60.5 percent of his passes while taking an NFL-worst 38 sacks.

Chicago's offense, in turn, ranks 24th in points, 30th in total yards and 31st in third downs.

Some of Williams' struggles have come down to holding onto the ball for too long. Some could be attributed to the offensive line. Others have been schematic in nature, to the point that former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired this week, with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown taking over the gig.

"After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense," head coach Matt Eberflus said in a statement. "This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward."

As for the rookie quarterback, there have been reports that some veterans with the Bears requested the coaching staff give backup Tyson Bagent a chance to start at quarterback. Williams said this week that he feels supported by his teammates, however.

"I think those guys are good, easy. We talk about it," he told reporters. "I think I got full support from them. I've gotten texts or calls or people coming up to me, with this situation that just happened, and saying, 'We got your back, we're with you.' You know, things like that and 'Let's go.' That kind of mindset and attitude has been what it's been this past couple days. And that's kind of what it's only been."

The Bears have a brutal stretch to close the season, facing the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Vikings, Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Packers in the final eight games of the season. All five of those teams are potential playoff qualifiers this season, so if Chicago's changes on offense don't inspire a turnaround, a once promising 4-2 start to the season is going to get ugly in a hurry.

Following the Chicago Bears' firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron this week, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams didn't have much to say about the situation.

When asked about his thoughts on Waldron's firing, Williams told reporters, "I don't get to choose those decisions. My job is to listen and go do my job."

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore told reporters Waldron's firing was "shocking."

Waldron's firing marked the first time that the Bears changed offensive coordinators in the middle of a season since Perry Moss became the first person hired to the position in 1970, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to offensive coordinator.

"After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense," Eberflus said in a statement. "This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward."

Brown is now the third offensive coordinator in three years since Eberflus was hired as head coach, following failed runs with Luke Getsy and Waldron. He will now be tasked with the development of Williams, who has struggled during the Bears' current three-game losing streak after previously showing flashes of impressive potential earlier in the year.

During Chicago's skid, Williams has completed just 50.5 percent of his passes and was sacked 18 times, both of which are the worst marks in the NFL over that span, per Cronin. The 2024 No. 1 pick's regression is rightfully concerning for the Bears, which led to the decision to let Waldron go.

The Bears will try to get back on track when they face the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North matchup on Sunday.

People around the NFL believe "too much has been asked" of Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN added the 2024 No. 1 overall pick "looks rattled" in the eyes of people he has talked too. Those sources feel Williams "has become tentative, trying to avoid mistakes," which has affected his game.

It looked like the Bears signal-caller was starting to turn a corner when the team reeled off three straight wins. During that stretch, he threw for 687 yards and seven touchdowns to one interception.

However, Chicago's current three-game losing streak has coincided with a downturn in Williams' performance. He has thrown for 468 yards and completed just 50.5 percent of his passes while failing to find the end zone.

Nobody expects a first-year player to be the finished product right out of the gate. But Graziano contrasted Williams' season with that of the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels and Denver Broncos' Bo Nix.

Daniels is thriving in Washington and the Commanders are second in the NFC East at 7-3. Nix, meanwhile, has fared much better of late after throwing four interceptions across his first two starts.

The trouble for Williams is also that the Bears' reputation precedes them. The franchise has failed for decades to develop a young star at quarterback, and that spans multiple head coaches and general managers.

When it comes to Williams, fans are experiencing a sense of déjà vu because they saw the same things happening with Justin Fields. Sure Fields had his flaws, but glaring issues hampered his on-field progression.

The Bears have already fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator before he could finish up his first full season. Thomas Brown, the team's passing game coordinator, was promoted to the job to finish out the year.

Maybe the coaching change can help Williams get his development back on track.

Even if the 22-year-old starts to look better and more assured under center, it's clear Chicago has a lot of work in the offseason to build a better ecosystem around its quarterback.

If there was any doubt about the marketing power of being a quarterback in the NFL, the top three players in jersey sales through October all play the same position.

In the list of top-10 jersey sales released by the NFL on Tuesday, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs occupy the top three spots.

Stroud and Williams being in the top two spots isn't a big surprise. Stroud was one of the NFL's breakout stars in 2023, helping to turn a Texans franchise that had been a laughingstock into a playoff team right away as a rookie.

Williams was one of the most-hyped draft prospects entering the NFL in years. He's the biggest hope the Chicago Bears have had at quarterback in decades. Even though things haven't gone smoothly for Williams or the Bears so far this season, he's only 22 years old and still has a high ceiling.

Mahomes' spot in the top five will likely be secure for a long time. He's arguably the biggest star in the sport with three Super Bowl titles before he turned 29. The Chiefs are on track to at least challenge for another championship with a 9-0 record so far this season.

Detroit Lions fever has translated into jersey sales with Aidan Hutchinson at No. 4 and Amon-Ra St. Brown at No. 6. They are the only team with multiple players in the top 10.

Sandwiched between the two Lions stars is Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. It's a bit surprising to see him only at No. 5, but some of that could be attributed to fans who have been cautious about waiting to fully embrace the organization under its new leadership after living through more than two decades with Dan Snyder in charge.

Daniels is the biggest ray of hope the Commanders have had since Robert Griffin III's rookie season in 2012. He looks like a lock to win Rookie of the Year with Washington off to a 7-3 start.

The back of the top 10 is made up entirely of star veterans. Any malaise over the Dallas Cowboys' disappointing season doesn't seem to apply to CeeDee Lamb's popularity, as he checks in at No. 7.

Josh Allen and Justin Jefferson both climbed up a few spots after ranking 10th and 11th, respectively, in the list of year-end jersey sales provided by the NFLPA from the period of March 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024.

Maxx Crosby made a huge jump into the top 10 after ranking No. 30 on the NFLPA list. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Las Vegas Raiders this season with 6.5 sacks in eight games played.