Caleb Williams’ Week 1 struggles likely to be meaningless blip in expected rise

Caleb Williams’ Week 1 struggles likely to be meaningless blip in expected rise originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams’ rough NFL debut is unlikely to be a precursor of things to come. Rookie quarterbacks almost always struggle at some point early in their career, and the great ones quickly learn from it and use it as fuel to take a giant leap forward.

Houston Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud, who the Bears will face Sunday night, knows all about this. Stroud had one of the best seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history last season, but his coming-out party wasn’t without a few duds from Week 5 to Week 7.

“He’s definitely a playmaker, somebody who can expend plays and make all the cool throws, a tough player, takes hits,” Stroud told Houston reporters Thursday when asked about Williams. “And [he’s] really just really talented, so I definitely do think that he has great things coming in his career, and I definitely do think he’ll get his rhythm going.”

Rhythm is something Williams needs to polish as the 1-0 Bears travel to Houston after an improbable 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Williams went just 14-for-29 for 93 yards in his NFL debut. The No. 1 overall pick pointed to several things he can clean up, specifically noting the tempo in his drops and how it impacted his accuracy.

Accuracy was one of Williams’ calling cards coming out of USC. He flashed precision and touch throughout camp but missed several throws that should have been easy completions against the Titans.

The Bears are confident Williams’ trademark accuracy will return as he gets his feet under him and fine-tunes his footwork, which got sloppy in the opener.

“I think for Caleb, it’s about reps, and the more time he is out there,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said Thursday at Halas Hall. “I know Caleb had mentioned the tempo of his feet. I think just playing with that good clean tempo, and we mentioned clean eyes, clean feet, and…

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Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-09-12 21:56:17

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