On Tuesday, it was hardly a shock to be taught that the Chicago Bears had dismissed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The regression of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams amid the membership’s three-game dropping streak sparked predictable issues amongst the fan base.
For a chunk revealed on Tuesday, rival executives and coaches spoke with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe about what has gone flawed concerning Williams’ lack of progress as Chicago went from 4-2 to 4-5.
“He is doing the identical issues he did in faculty when it comes to holding the ball and being inconsistent together with his reads,” an government mentioned about Williams. “He may get away with working round, throwing the ball up for grabs, throwing throughout his physique and he had some success doing that. You don’t get away with that on the NFL degree too usually. I’m a bit of shocked they haven’t been in a position to clear a few of this up.”
Whereas many mentioned lengthy earlier than the Bears made Williams the primary choose of this yr’s draft that he was the highest quarterback prospect of his class, some NFL personnel insisted this previous spring that Chicago ought to’ve as an alternative taken LSU’s Jayden Daniels. The Washington Commanders finally grabbed Daniels with the draft’s second general selection, and he has since change into the favourite to win the Offensive Rookie of the 12 months Award.
“He all the time held the ball too lengthy,” a second government mentioned about Williams, “so you must decrease pure dropback conditions and assist him with a run sport, which improves the influence of your [run-pass option], QB motion and play motion.”
In accordance with Professional Soccer Reference, Williams started Tuesday ranked thirtieth within the NFL amongst certified gamers with a 38.4 adjusted QBR, twenty eighth with an 81.0 passer score, thirty second with a 60.5% completion proportion and thirtieth with a 39.8% passing success price for the season. He tossed 9 landing passes and 5 interceptions over his first 9 video games.
One offensive coach advised Howe that Williams is experiencing “typical rookie” struggles this fall.
“The expectations on him had been so excessive,” that coach added. “No means he was going to have the ability to match these.”
Williams and the Bears will host the 6-3 Inexperienced Bay Packers subsequent Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Chicago as a six-point underdog for that matchup.
