The Chicago Bears’ four-game winning streak is over, and the questions about second-year quarterback Caleb Williams are heating up.

Brad Biggs tackles the latest on Williams’ development in his weekly Bears mailbag.

Caleb Williams, the No. 1 draft pick in 2024, has been outshined by fellow 2024 quarterback picks Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix. Yet many observers still believe Williams can become the star he was expected to be. Is the Bears’ best hope for Williams that, like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, he can turn it around — and do so while still a Bear? — Pat R., Chicago

There’s little question that Williams is running fourth in the 2024 quarterback class. While Daniels has been inconsistent and injured this season, he had arguably the greatest season any rookie quarterback ever produced and not only won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but also pulled some MVP votes.

Maye has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season in New England working for a new staff with coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Nix has had ups and downs playing for Sean Payton in Denver, but his overall body of work is impressive. He certainly has benefited from one of the league’s best defenses.

Expectations for Williams were sky high with the hope he would be a transformative player who helps lead the Bears to sustained success — something arguably no Bears quarterback has done since Sid Luckman’s prime in the 1940s. That’s a tremendous amount of pressure to carry. As you know, the success rate on quarterbacks drafted in the first round and even the top five is spotty.

Caleb Williams celebrates with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick during the first round of the NFL draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Williams’ first seven games this season were up and down. The only game that got folks really excited was the 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, and that came against a defense that has been in shambles and was without key pieces in the secondary.

Pairing Williams with coach Ben Johnson hasn’t led to overnight success, and that’s where the hand-wringing begins. Ever since Johnson was hired, some drew parallels to Jared Goff’s rise to prominence with the Detroit Lions, which was, in my estimation, a faulty comparison.

For starters, Goff and Williams are very different quarterbacks with different strengths and weaknesses. Goff was also an established NFL starter who had high-level success before he got to Detroit. He made 69 regular-season starts and had two 4,600-yard passing seasons for the Los Angeles Rams playing for a coach, Sean McVay, who is rooted foundationally in a lot of the same things as Johnson.

You refer to Mayfield, Darnold and Jones, and those are all players who stumbled with the team that drafted them and didn’t take off until they found a new home. Jones has been fantastic this season for the Indianapolis Colts, but if you take a closer look at that situation, he’s being more of a game manager and having a lot of success because of the parts around him. Tremendous props to him for improving in a lot of areas, but I wouldn’t bundle him with the upper echelon of NFL passers.

Ten games remain to be played this season, and it’s possible Williams is poised to have a big game Sunday in Cincinnati. The Bengals have been a complete disaster defensively and rank in the bottom three in the league in total defense, rushing defense, passing defense, missed tackles and on first down, third down and in the red zone. They’re allowing a league-worst 31.6 points per game and have surrendered 27 or more in every game since Week 1.

One area where Williams has shown real growth is the ability to create explosive plays. He’s seventh in the league in explosive pass rate, a huge improvement for an offense that struggled to get chunk plays a year ago. He’s doing a much better job of getting rid of the football when he has to. Pass protection has been upgraded, and the sack rate from a year ago has basically been cut in half.

He still needs to improve his accuracy and show he can play more consistently within the structure of the offense and not rely as much on his innate physical gifts to make big plays off script. Those are great, but when they don’t happen, there are too many instances when he has turned down plays that would have offered moderate or sometimes even substantial gains.

Week 8 photos: Chicago Bears lose 30-16 to Baltimore Ravens

The Bears remain optimistic that Williams will develop. Johnson said after film review of Sunday’s loss in Baltimore that it was better than he initially thought and he cited some of the explosive plays, especially throws on deep in-breakers.

“He was very efficient with the football early in the game,” Johnson said. “He had a number of throws that were on time. We hit a couple in-breakers; that was encouraging to see as well.

“There’s a couple that we talked about that need to be automatic at this point halfway through the season that we missed on, and so we’re going to keep on working through that process. I think we’re going to be in good shape. I did think he took a step forward here.”

There’s no reason to lower the bar of expectations for Williams, not with what the franchise has invested in him. But there’s a really long way to go for him to get near that territory. That’s ultimately what this season is about. His lows aren’t in the range of what Darnold and Jones experienced or even Mayfield, but let’s keep the sights on the top of the league.

If it’s still choppy and inconsistent at the end of this season, perhaps that is the time to evaluate expectations for a young quarterback. But right now, hold him to the standard he was expected to achieve, even though we know the steep challenges involved.

As far as Williams turning it around while still a member of the Bears, I think we’re jumping from Point A (which is where they are with Johnson, even though it’s Year 2 for Williams) to Point E.

Seems that the Bears’ eternal quest for a franchise QB has hit another speed bump. As we all wait for the light to turn on for Caleb Williams, I’m reminded of how we Bears fans have been left to wait for that same light that never turned on for an endless parade of QBs. Williams, unfortunately, seems to be another miss. He appears to be regressing rather than developing. Tellingly, many of the things we’re told he needs to work on to improve, he should already have possessed coming into the league as a No. 1 pick. You don’t hear about these kinds of shortfalls when people discuss the performances of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Bo Nix and C.J. Stroud. To me, Williams lacks the instincts, feeling the rush, moving up in the pocket, going through his progressions and knowing when to take off. I also don’t believe he has the leadership skills required to rally the troops. He appears aloof and too eccentric. There’s only so much you can correct. What’s your take on him after almost 1 1/2 years? How much of his issues are correctable and how much of him is already a finished product? — David P.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass as Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones looks to block it in the fourth quarter of a game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Oct. 26, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

There were many questions this week concerned about Williams’ developmental timeline, and that’s fair after a game in which my biggest takeaway was how you couldn’t tell which of the two quarterbacks — Williams or journeyman Ravens backup Tyler Huntley — was the former No. 1 pick. There are valid reasons to have concern about his trajectory through 24 starts, but I’m not as close as you are to reaching a verdict and determining the light isn’t going to come on, to use your expression.

We’re only seven games into this season, and there were reasons to have questions about Maye coming out of his rookie year. He clicked almost immediately with Josh McDaniels in New England, and that’s a credit to him and the system the Patriots put in place with a new coaching staff. Seven games is still a smaller sample size, and we at least have to give Williams the entirety of this season with Ben Johnson before we begin to question which direction this is headed.

Like nearly all of the quarterbacks drafted these days, Williams didn’t operate under center much at all in college. That’s new to him. He’s doing a better job of managing the pocket this season, although that remains an area where growth is needed. Both statements can be true. His completion percentage has to get better if he is going to excel, and that will improve if he can play on schedule more regularly and start to take the check-down options that are there. Replacing two incomplete passes off scrambles with two check-downs each week would start to bump up the numbers a tick.

There’s a ton of room for growth and the coaching staff is trying to home in on that stuff every week in practice. I realize it can become frustrating to hear requests for patience when other quarterbacks in the same draft class are ascending. They all develop at their own rate. I’d also point out that after a dynamic rookie season, Stroud regressed significantly in 2024. A lot of it was attributable to the terrible time the Houston Texans had with their offensive line. Stroud has bounced back a bit this season.

Each quarterback is in a unique situation. It just so happens Williams is in a spot where fans have been asked for patience time and again with previous quarterback prospects. It’s easy to fall into the here-we-go-again way of thinking.

Some folks are playing Twister to come up with numbers that support the notion everything is just fine with Williams. If you’re simply watching it, the eye test will tell you that’s not the case. He has been better this season. Plenty of data and the eye test will tell you as much. He’s far from being what the Bears ultimately sought when they drafted him. Let’s try to be open-minded over the next 10 games and avoid the weekly urge to make a firm declaration on which way this is headed.

Assuming Caleb Williams’ trajectory for the rest of the season remains the same as it has been thus far (unremarkable), how long before a quarterback controversy should develop? After the next game? Give him four more games? After the end of the season? Give him another season? — Dennis, Colorado

For starters, I would advise against assuming anything in the NFL. It’s a week-to-week business and the mood and feeling for teams and players can flip quickly. Remember the vibe about the Bears coming off a 31-point loss in Detroit that dropped them to 0-2?

I don’t see the Bears falling into a full-blown controversy after Sunday’s game in Cincinnati. Although it’s never say never in the NFL, that would shock me. Considering what the Bears have invested in Williams, I’m of the opinion it would take something dramatic for them to admit they have a controversy on their hands this season. Ben Johnson took the Bears job knowing he would be working with Williams for a while. Highly drafted quarterbacks have to be abysmal not to reach at least the beginning of Year 3 as the starter.

I believe Johnson has the juice at Halas Hall to make personnel decisions as he sees fit. That probably wasn’t the case for predecessor Matt Eberflus. But you’re talking about a potentially seismic move, and instinct tells me that’s not right around the corner.

What do the Bears need to do to fix their success rate in the red zone? Are the coaches addressing/emphasizing it as an area of improvement? — @thechicagosares

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly guards Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze while he tries to make a catch in the end zone during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

There’s plenty to fix in the red zone, and this is why Ben Johnson has been so frustrated about penalties that crippled the Bears, often at key moments. To answer this, I took a deep look at the red-zone efficiency (the first three games) and inefficiency (the last four games) to try to frame this.

The Bears were very good in the red zone to begin the season. Through three games, they had scored touchdowns on 6 of 7 visits. Two things stood out. First, they played clean football. With the exception of a Kyle Monangai run for minus-8 yards against the Cowboys when he tried to make something out of nothing, they largely avoided negative plays. They also didn’t have any penalties in those seven red-zone possessions, which is a big element of playing clean football.

Second, Caleb Williams was pretty effective as a runner in the red zone. He had five carries for 36 yards and two touchdowns and was 7 of 10 passing for 47 yards and three touchdowns.

The numbers in the last four games have been poor, and the only reason the Bears went 3-1 in that stretch is the defense created all sorts of extra possessions with takeaways in the first three of those games. The Bears are 5 of 16 in the red zone over the last four games, dropping them to 11 of 23 (47.8%) for the season. That ranks 26th in the league, and the last time the Bears were worse in the red zone over an entire season was 2010, when they finished at 45.1%.

For context, we’re going to approach this by saying the Bears are actually 5 of 14 in the red zone in the last four games. One series was exclusively kneel-downs to set up Jake Moody’s game-winning field goal at Washington, and another was kneel-downs to run out the clock in the win over the New Orleans Saints. It’s not fair to knock the offense for failing to score touchdowns in those instances. The theme remains the same: 5 of 14 isn’t good enough.

Of those 14 visits, the Bears have had only four clean series. Not surprisingly, three of those resulted in touchdowns. The fourth that didn’t was the first-and-goal series at the Baltimore 3-yard line Sunday that saw Williams’ fourth-down throw to DJ Moore go well wide of the mark.

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The Bears have had seven penalties in the red zone in the last four games: holding on Olamide Zaccheaus, illegal formation on Theo Benedet (which erased a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze) and five false starts. They’ve also had two aborted snaps — one lost 19 yards in Las Vegas — and two sacks.

Williams hasn’t found spaces to run the ball in the red zone lately. He has six carries for 9 yards and one touchdown over the last four games. His passing hasn’t been as efficient either: He’s 7 of 17 for 34 yards and one interception by the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.

It’s not as simple as saying if the Bears knock out the penalties, they will start cashing in more red-zone trips, but that would be a huge step. It’s tough to go backward and still reach the end zone. Of their seven red-zone penalties, only one came on a series that resulted in a touchdown. They overcome a false start on tight end Cole Kmet to get a 1-yard touchdown run by Monangai against the Saints.

“We had productive drives (in Baltimore),” center Drew Dalman said. “They’re not perfect, there is still stuff to clean up, but we get down there, we need to be able to find a way to finish with 14 points instead of six and we leave that quarter feeling much better. So that whole cocktail of execution, effort, focus, all of that will be much more effective and ending with touchdowns and not field goals.”

That’s a heck of a cocktail, and good luck finding a local bartender who can serve that one up. For Williams as a passer, the field is compacted, defensive backs don’t have to give a lot of ground with the threat of the ball going over their heads and the windows are tighter. Processing needs to be quicker and precise.

One thing the Bears certainly could do is involve tight ends Colston Loveland and Kmet (when he’s healthy) more. They have a combined six targets with two catches for 19 yards and Kmet’s 10-yard touchdown. That’s it through seven games for tight ends in the red zone. By comparison, Zaccheaus has been targeted six times with four catches for 21 yards. Why not employ your bigger targets with the ability to make contested catches more?

Over the previous two seasons, Kmet was targeted 23 times in the red zone and produced 19 receptions for 99 yards and eight touchdowns.

What can be done to improve kickoff coverage? Teams are getting great starting field position way too often. — @dsjaegerse

The Bears didn’t have a great game covering kicks in Baltimore as the Ravens hit them for returns of 39 and 34 yards, averaged 30.8 yards per return and had an average starting field position of the 36 after kickoffs.

However, this has yet to be a real concern area this season. The Bears are tied for 14th in opponents’ average starting field position at 29.8. Only three teams — the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants — are holding opponents below 27. For reference, 20 of the 32 teams are between 29.1 and 31.1, so the Bears are in that mix and around the middle of the pack.

I know you recently said DJ Moore’s role in the offense is not being diminished, but that’s hard to believe when he is targeted so little in each game. When Caleb Williams does throw to him, he rarely drops the ball. He is extremely sure-handed and almost always gains yardage. Just look at last week’s 42-yard, one-handed catch! I know Rome Odunze is an up-and-comer, but seriously, what gives with Moore? — Tony G., Andover, Minn.

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore makes a one-handed catch against Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the fourth quarter Oct. 26, 2025, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

You could ask a somewhat similar question about pretty much everyone in the passing game not named Odunze. There are a lot of mouths to feed, as Ben Johnson said, and some of the Bears’ inefficiencies have created a situation where guys are not getting the ball with the kind of regularity folks might have expected.

Odunze leads the team with 56 targets and has 31 catches for 473 yards. Moore is tied with Olamide Zaccheaus for second with 38 targets. Moore has 26 receptions for 331 yards and one touchdown. The good thing is he’s been more explosive this season with Johnson calling the offense. Moore is averaging 12.7 yards per catch and that’s a nice bump ahead of last season.

Moore was actually targeted four more times in 2024 (140) than he was the year before and had two more receptions (98) but his yardage cratered, dropping from 1,364 to only 966, meaning he averaged only 9.9 yards per reception.

I agree he’s a productive target and can and should be more involved. But tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have a combined total of 37 targets and rookie wide receiver Luther Burden is getting just a little playing time and has 15 targets. The obvious answer is for the Bears to stop throwing the ball so often to Zaccheaus, but you’re only talking about a few more targets to spread around.

The good news here is that Moore is back to making more explosive plays in the passing game. His yards per catch average is up and could easily climb. We’ll see if he gets some more chances, but it is indeed a mistake to say he’s being phased out of the offense.

After the first 15 plays, it sure seems like the Bears passing offense takes a drop. I know everyone blames penalties and Caleb Williams, but does any fall on Ben Johnson’s play-calling? The team seems disjointed quite a bit after the script is up. — Dennis K.

It’s not just the passing offense. The Bears aren’t as productive as a whole once they get past the first two possessions, which is something I wrote about Monday. As I noted, they are averaging 2.78 points per drive on their first two possessions of every game — 14 total series. They are averaging 2.08 points per drive after that.

Sure, Johnson is involved in this and I am sure he would admit as much. He’s pretty transparent about play calls he’d like back and things he would have done differently. It’s harder for teams after they get off the opening script, which a lot of times is stuff that is installed on a Wednesday and refined throughout the week in practice. The coaches are able to scheme up plays against looks they feel confident they will get. That increases the chance for success.

After that script has been rolled through, then it’s reacting to the situation and trying to counter whatever coverages/fronts/pressures/etc. the opponent might be showing, which may have been newly installed that week. In those situations, on passing plays, Williams has to read the progression, have a feel for the coverage and make a play.

That is oversimplifying how things unfold in a game beginning with about the third series, but it gives you an idea.

What is the assessment of pass protection from this reworked O-line? It feels like that aspect of the offense has not been discussed enough in light of decent running efforts. — @watertaster

The Bears have been greatly improved with protection up front and I think Caleb Williams also has a better understanding of where pressure is potentially coming from and what answers he needs to have ready. We’ve seen Ben Johnson lean heavily into the play action game with an eye toward helping the line and Williams out. Through Week 8, the Bears have attempted 68 passes off play action and that is the third-highest total in the league. Only the Colts (71) and Rams (75) have more. We’ve also seen him rolling Williams out to the right more lately in a bid to likely protect young left tackle Theo Benedet. I think it’s accurate to say the rebuilt interior with guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman has made a big difference and right tackle Darnell Wright, playing through a torn UCL in his right elbow, is handling his business at a high level.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/chicago-bears-mailbag-caleb-williams-red-zone/