On Tuesday, it was hardly a shock to study that the Chicago Bears had dismissed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The regression of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams amid the membership’s three-game shedding streak sparked predictable considerations 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 development as Chicago went from 4-2 to 4-5.
“He is doing the identical issues he did in school by way of holding the ball and being inconsistent along with his reads,” an govt 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 stage too usually. I’m just a little shocked they haven’t been capable of clear a few of this up.”
Whereas many mentioned lengthy earlier than the Bears made Williams the primary decide 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 a substitute taken LSU’s Jayden Daniels. The Washington Commanders finally grabbed Daniels with the draft’s second total selection, and he has since become the favourite to win the Offensive Rookie of the 12 months Award.
“He all the time held the ball too lengthy,” a second govt mentioned about Williams, “so it’s important to decrease pure dropback conditions and help him with a run recreation, which improves the affect of your [run-pass option], QB motion and play motion.”
In keeping with Pro Football 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 ranking, thirty second with a 60.5% completion share 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 informed 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.
