Caleb Williams is used to being the center of attention by now. Already in his young career, he's been the starting quarterback for two of the most storied college football programs in the nation, won a Heisman Trophy, been the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and been counted on to be the savior of one of the the NFL's oldest and longest-suffering franchises.
Caleb's rookie year didn't exactly go the way he or Chicago Bears fans hoped it would. The team limped to a 5-12 record to finish last in the NFC North, and Williams was outshined by not just Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels but even Bo Nix — both of whom led their teams to the playoffs.
Caleb actually played very well, all things considered. He was sacked 68 times, the most in the league, but he made it out of the season in one piece while only throwing six interceptions. That performance was enough to make Bears fans believe that we've finally found our guy, but the pressure is going to be increased exponentially in his second year.
The Bears have been one of the league's biggest movers and shakers this offseason as general manager Ryan Poles has made drastic improvements to the roster and the coaching staff. If the Bears want to become contenders, though, they'll need Williams to fulfill his considerable promise and lead them there.
With the second round of OTAs in the books, let's look today at all of the advantages Caleb has this season over last, and rank them according to how important they'll be to his success. Just as the Bears are hoping to do, we'll start at the bottom and work our way to the top.
5. Case Keenum gives Caleb Williams the veteran quarterback mentor he lacked last year
The Bears signed 37-year-old Case Keenum to the team last month, and though it's still unknown if he has a chance to beat out Tyson Bagent for the backup quarterback spot, his presence in the offseason is going to pay big dividends.
Caleb didn't have a vet to lean on last year, and considering it was recently revealed that the coaching staff basically left him to his own devices when it came to watching tape, it would have been huge to have someone like Keenum to help him learn how to develop professional habits.
Daniels had Marcus Mariota backing him up in Washington last year. Drake Maye got to learn behind Jacoby Brissett before taking over for the Patriots. Michael Penix Jr. got to watch Kirk Cousins for most of his rookie year. Nix didn't have a similar vet, but he was coached by Sean Payton, one of the most respected offensive minds of the last few decades. Caleb had none of that.
Keenum backed up C.J. Stroud in Houston last year, and news flash, Stroud is pretty good. However long he lasts in Chicago, he'll be a valuable resource.
4. The Bears' skill position talent is younger and deeper
It may take some time for all the pieces to get up to speed, especially in a new system, but the skill position talent in Halas Hall is much better than it was a year ago. Casual fans may see that Keenan Allen is gone and wonder how that's possible, but anyone that watched the games last year knows that Allen was nowhere near as good as he was with the Chargers. He made some plays, to be sure, but he also had some killer drops and a huge overall decrease in production.
The Bears took Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III in the first two rounds, and those two are going to give this offense so much more versatility. Loveland will pair with Cole Kmet to give the Bears a serious 1-2 threat at tight end, something they hoped to have with Gerald Everett last year but which never panned out (seriously, stop signing former Chargers). Burden is expected to be the starting slot receiver, while Rome Odunze, who seemed to share a special connection with Caleb in their rookie years, has been elevated to the WR2 role.
Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay were signed in free agency, and each could prove to be the deep threat that the Bears have been missing since prime Darnell Mooney left. Rookie running back Kyle Monangai could even crack the depth chart in a serious way. All in all, Williams is going to have a lot of mouths to feed, and that's a good problem to have.
3. Coming into the year with actual NFL experience is a huge plus
Every other item on this list can be directly traced to moves the front office has made, but this one has happened due to the natural progression of time. At this point last year, Caleb had never gone against an NFL defense. He'd never been chased by someone like Aidan Hutchinson or had to figure out a Brian Flores blitz package. He'd never had to deal with losing on a large scale; even in a down year in his senior season, USC was still 8-5.
Talent matters, and Caleb has plenty of that, but the list of skilled quarterbacks who have flamed out because they never got the mental aspect of the game down is longer than a Tory Taylor punt. Williams was on his own last year, and still he held his own.
As Kelly Clarkson sang, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If that's true, then Caleb is going to be ready for anything after the trials and tribulations of last year. The game will slow down, he'll trust in his talent more and better results will come.
2. The offensive line is leaps and bounds better
Williams took an absolute beating last year, but he kept getting up. That's a credit to his toughness, but it's also an unsustainable roadmap for his career. The Bears needed to upgrade the offensive line in a big way, and thankfully, they did.
First Team All-Pro Joe Thuney was acquired via trade from the Chiefs, and he's since been extended. Jonah Jackson, who made a Pro Bowl under Ben Johnson in Detroit, was brought over from the Rams for just a sixth-round pick. Poles also signed Drew Dalman, the top center on the market, away from the Falcons.
The Bears dealt with an endless string of injuries to their offensive line, especially on the interior, last year. Nate Davis proved to be a massive bust, but now there's no excuse for not protecting the face of the franchise.
Caleb needs to improve at throwing the ball away instead of taking avoidable sacks, but on paper, this line is going to do a lot of the work for him. The Bears could even get some help from rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who has impressed in OTAs and could have a shot at the starting gig as Braxton Jones works his way back from a fractured ankle.
1. The upgrade from Matt Eberflus to Ben Johnson is massive
A good offensive line is vital to any quarterback's success, but we're keeping that at No. 2 because the best coaches can scheme around a poor line to some degree. Bad coaching, which Caleb was subjected to last year, can't take full advantage even if there are five Pro Bowlers lined up in the trenches.
That's why the addition of Johnson is the single biggest advantage Williams has this year. Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron were in way over their heads. So was Thomas Brown when he made his meteoric ascent from passing game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator to interim head coach in the span of a few short weeks.
Johnson was the most coveted coach on the market for a reason. His offense in Detroit was arguably the best and most creative in the NFL. His players loved playing for him, and the team put up points like they never had before.
Johnson has already impressed with his attention to detail and high standards, two things that Eberflus talked a big game about but never actually implemented. Bears fans have been starved for a modern offense their entire lives, and now we're finally going to get one. Football is going to be fun again, and Caleb will be at the center of it all.