Bears Hall of Famer Believes Jury Still Out on Caleb Williams’ Work Ethic

Even before Caleb Williams was officially selected by the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, his lofty career goals were already public record, thanks to a glimpse at his phone’s lock screen. To win eight Super Bowls would assure Williams a place on the NFL’s Mount Rushmore of Quarterbacks, and propel the Bears to unprecedented dynastic status.

But nobody said reaching a goal like this one would be easy. Winning just one Super Bowl is difficult enough, and nobody knows this better than Mike Singletary. The Hall of Fame linebacker was a key piece of the 1985 Chicago Bears defense that rampaged its way through the entire league and led the franchise to its first and so far only Super Bowl title.

Whether the Bears get back to the big game over the next decade or so will likely come down to Caleb Williams’ continued development under new head coach Ben Johnson. And as things stand right now, Singletary doesn’t seem certain that Williams has the work ethic to reach the heights laid out on his phone’s lock screen.

After Singletary acknowledged that Williams has greatness “within his grasp” so long as he has the work ethic to match, Kay Adams pressed the Hall of Famer and asked if he believed, based on what he’s seen and heard, that Williams does have that work ethic. Singletary’s response spoke volumes.

“Don’t know yet,” Singletary said. “It depends on where he is, if he’s honest with where he’s at, and if he realizes, ‘You know what, this is what I have to do. This is my workload. This is what I have to do to get our offense to this point, to get our team to this point.'”

Although Singletary didn’t explicitly say ‘no,’ the fact that he didn’t express outright optimism with the process is somewhat troubling if you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears. And it only builds on some of the panic coming out of the Windy City in recent days.

Caleb Williams Has a Tough Day at Bears Training Camp

To say that Caleb Williams has had some growing pains adjusting to life under new head coach Ben Johnson would be an understatement. More often than not, the defense has ruled the day in Lake Forest.

Sure, Williams has had moments where his arm strength and improvisational skills shine through, highlighting why he was viewed as a generational prospect coming into the league. But there has been more bad than good thus far, and predictably, it was bound to reach a breaking point eventually.

But before everyone starts assuming that Williams is going to end up being a bust along the lines of Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell or David Carr, I’d advise taking a deep breath and then taking some time to evaluate what the guys sharing a locker room with him have to say about the second-year quarterback.

Support For Caleb Williams Not Waning in Bears Locker Room

While it’s possible that behind closed doors there may perhaps be some trepidation regarding Caleb Williams’ growth this offseason, publicly, very few in the Bears locker room are saying anything that calls into question whether the former Heisman Trophy winner is the right guy for the job in Chicago.

“He’s probably the most talented quarterback I ever played with,” safety Kevin Byard told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He’s made some throws every single day that makes you say, ‘Wow,’ and if he continues to do that consistently, he’s going to take us where we need to go.”

Rome Odunze, who came into the NFL in the same draft class as Williams, remains confident that his quarterback will not only soon get a firm grasp of this new offense, but ascend to the very top of the National Football League.

“I think the sky really is the limit for him with his talent, with his knowledge, with his attitude towards the game, his goals,” Odunze said. “Really, man, he could be the best.”