Quarterback Caleb Williams‘ rookie year with the Chicago Bears didn’t go exactly as planned, which showed up in the counting numbers — both regular season and postseason.
Williams, of course, didn’t partake in the playoffs after the Bears’ 5-12 campaign in 2024. However, he did end up on the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year ballot — and the numbers he found there were grim.
Williams received just two total points by way of two fifth-place votes and finished 10th overall in the voting. For context, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the award, finished with 495 points. Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers finished in second place with 214 overall points.
Not only did Williams almost completely strike out in the voting, he finished behind three quarterbacks taken after him in the 2024 draft (Daniels, No. 2 pick; Bo Nix, No. 12 pick; and Drake Maye, No. 3 pick). Michael Penix Jr. didn’t play enough for the Atlanta Falcons to garner real consideration, while J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings due to a knee injury.
Multiple wide receivers, a running back and even an offensive lineman leapfrogged Williams after his difficult rookie campaign, based on numbers provided by Josh Dubow of The Associated Press via an X post on Thursday, February 6.
The voting for the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year selected by The Associated Press in balloting by a nationwide panel of media: (Voting is on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis)
- Jayden Daniels, Washington: 49-1-0-0-0: 495
- Brock Bowers, Las Vegas: 1-32-11-5-1: 214
- Bo Nix, Denver: 0-15-21-7-1: 153
- Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville: 0-2-8-15-18: 82
- Malik Nabers, New York Giants: 0-0-4-13-13: 51
- Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay: 0-0-1-8-12: 31
- Drake Maye, New England: 0-0-3-0-0: 9
- Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers: 0-0-2-0-2: 8
- Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers: 0-0-0-2-1: 5
- Caleb Williams, Chicago: 0-0-0-0-2: 2
Caleb Williams Struggled With Sack Issues, Fumbles in Rookie Campaign
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Like all rookie quarterbacks, even those such as Daniels who put up astounding results in their initial NFL campaigns, Williams had moments of real struggle during his first year.
Those moments were often tied to poor decision-making, namely in terms of holding onto the football too long. Opposing defenses sacked Williams a total of 68 times, which added up to a 466 yards lost — both of which figures topped the league.
However, poor offensive line play — particularly along the interior — was also responsible for much of that dysfunction. Several injuries to the offensive front throughout the year also exacerbated the issue.
But despite those problems, which were direct contributors to a 10-game losing streak for Chicago following a 4-2 start, Williams managed to protect the ball reasonably well — at least when passing. He finished the season with 3,541 yards, 20 TDs and just 6 INTs on a 62.5% completion rate.
Williams also rushed the football 81 times for 489 yards (6.0 yards per carry), though he fumbled a total of 10 times on the year.
New Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Should Help Caleb Williams Make Leap in 2025
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
Aside from a lack of effective offensive line play, another significant difference between Williams and his counterparts Daniels and Nix is their respective ages.
Williams turned 23 late in the season, while Daniels is 24 and Nix will soon be 25. Both of the latter QBs had more collegiate experience, which showed on Sundays in 2024.
The good signs for Chicago are that Williams has owned up to his mistakes and lack of experience, which means he probably has been/will be able to learn from them moving forward.
The Bears also hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator and quarterback guru Ben Johnson as their new head coach, which arguably puts Williams in the best position to make a leap in Year 2.
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