Ex-NFL Scout Gives Blunt Advice to Bears QB Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has received some blunt advice from a former NFL scout about his playing style ahead of his second season in 2025.

During the June 29 episode of the “3 & Out” podcast, host John Middlekauff — who spent time as an area scout for the Philadelphia Eagles — discussed Williams’ recent appearance on Fantatics’ “Franchise Faces” panel alongside fellow quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young and retired NFL veterans Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

Williams and the other quarterbacks had candidly spoken about their early experiences in the NFL and received general advice — and compliments — from the Mannings about how they can improve their games as they progress further into their pro careers.

In response, though, Middlekauff made a point to bluntly emphasize to Williams that he cannot continue to rely on his out-of-structure playmaking if he wants to succeed with new head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears during the forthcoming season.

“I think if you’re Caleb, you need to learn from these guys,” Middlekauff said Sunday. “Just get rid of the ball. Just dump the ball. Not everyone is Steph Curry at shooting fadeaway threes. You can’t always run around and try to throw deep pumps. And the way Jared Goff got his career back on track with Ben was just getting rid of the ball quick, just getting the ball out of your hands. This is the NFL — it’s a space game.”


Bears Built a Foundation to Help Caleb Williams Excel

Middlekauff is not wrong about Williams needing to focus on getting the ball out of his hands quicker. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams tied for the ninth-longest time to throw (2.92 seconds) among the 43 quarterbacks who had at least 135 passing attempts during the 2024 regular season. He also had the second-fewest average completed air yards (4.6) out of the 10 slowest throwers, underscoring an issue the Bears must solve.

Fortunately for Williams, the Bears made a series of upgrades — both to their coaching staff and roster — that should help him improve in that area during the 2025 season.

The Bears didn’t skimp on finding Williams better protection in 2025. They completely turned over the interior of their line, trading for All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney and right guard Jonah Jackson and signing veteran Drew Dalman to a $42 million contract. They also sunk two draft picks into rookies, including second-round tackle Ozzy Trapilo.

Despite Keenan Allen’s departure in free agency, the Bears also improved the passing targets around Williams. They signed free-agent wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay to one-year contracts to add more depth and invested their top two picks into tight end Colston Loveland (10th pick) and Luther Burden III (33rd pick).

Most importantly, though, is the addition of Johnson as the team’s new head coach and offensive play-caller. As Middlekauff noted, Johnson’s coaching played a crucial role in helping Goff return to his Pro Bowl level of play after he had fallen off during his final seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, emphasizing Goff’s need to get the ball out quickly.

If Williams can follow the same blueprint, he could turn a corner in 2025.


Range of Possibilities Remains Open for Caleb Williams

While a breakout is possible with Williams, the fact of the matter is that there is still a wide range of possibilities for how things could turn out for 2024’s No. 1 pick in Year 2.

Williams has better coaches and a stronger supporting cast in place, but he will need to work on correcting the issues that held him back as a rookie in 2024. His poor accuracy, at times, minimized the potential of his big-time arm, especially on deep-field throws. If he cannot improve enough in those areas, the Bears could struggle with him in 2025.

On the other hand, Williams has the talent and athleticism to vault himself to superstar status in 2025 if he can make the necessary adjustments to his game and learn the finer details of Johnson’s offense like the back of his hand.

Johnson excels at scheming open his playmakers and creating ideal situations for his quarterback, which should provide a significant advantage for Williams and put him in a great spot to become the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer as soon as this season.

The question now is: Can Williams do it?

Only time will tell.

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