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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterSep 4, 2024, 05:25 PM ET
- Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Since age 9, Caleb Williams has envisioned what all the big moments of his football career would look and feel like: winning the Heisman Trophy (which he did at USC in 2022), being drafted No. 1 overall and his first regular-season start as an NFL quarterback.
When asked Wednesday — four days ahead of the Chicago Bears‘ season opener against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field — how the Bears QB would feel if coaches decide to not task the rookie with carrying out heavy production in the passing game, Williams said he would be comfortable no matter what the game plan entails.
“Run the ball and win the game? That’s it,” Williams said. “If we come out and decide that the offensive line is dominating and wide receivers are dominating blocks, we’re extending runs and things like that, coach always talks about back side wins championships, front side wins games and things like that. If we got guys out there giving that type of energy and we’re handing the ball off and we’re getting, I don’t know, 5 [yards] a pop, I mean, it’s hard to beat that.
“If that’s the case, that’s the case. As long as we get a win. Because last time I remembered, the wins are the most important thing. And so as long as we get that win, at the end of the day, 100 yards, 400, it all becomes the same.”
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Williams appeared in two preseason games, during which he completed 10 of 20 passes for 170 yards with a 79.2 passer rating and recorded a 7-yard rushing touchdown.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said there will be moments in the early parts of games and on early downs when the team needs the quarterback to “play point guard” while distributing the ball to the players around him as part of an efficient operation.
“I’m excited to see him,” Eberflus said. “And I’m excited [for Williams] to lean in and lean on his teammates. Because that’s what you have to do with a quarterback. He’s got guys around him that have played a lot of years. And again, he’s a rookie. So, he’s just been leaning on those guys and getting the ball to those guys and let them do their work. We have to do a good job of protecting. But yeah, just leaning in and leaning on his teammates.”
Williams earned the starting job in Chicago prior to his first practice at rookie minicamp in May. Over the past four months, his leadership led him to being the only first-year player to be named a season-long captain since the Bears officially began appointing them in 2007.
The effect that Williams’ on-field ability and poise has on his teammates is noticeable.
“The expectation is what it always is: winning,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “No matter who the quarterback is, you want to win. I wouldn’t rather be with another guy right now than Caleb. He’s gotten better ever since we started. The confidence is through the roof.”
Williams will take a moment during pregame warmups Sunday to appreciate this next step in his football journey. It’s a moment the 22-year-old signal-caller has been dreaming of for years.
“When feet touch the grass, it’s going to be business as usual,” Williams said. “When I run out the stadium, kind of do a little spin in the tunnel, when I’m coming out the tunnel, just kind of see the stadium, take it all in and feel the energy, the vibe and get going from there. Once I do my spin and get down to the sideline, it’s go time.”
