Getty Quarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears‘ offense has been a nightmare through three games and its critics can be separated into two groups: those who blame rookie QB Caleb Williams and those who ask what the heck he’s supposed to do with an offensive line that can’t protect him.
Mike Sando of The Athletic interviewed current and former NFL personnel who were firmly in camp No. 2, publishing their words in a piece on Monday, September 23.
“The media gets excited, the personnel people get excited and people expect that guy to come in and just tear it up,” Sando wrote, quoting a former head coach in the league. “They did a good job putting people around him. I do not think the offensive line is very good.”
A current talent evaluator in the NFL doubled down on the offensive line criticism, and had some for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus as well.
“The Bears’ problems, in my opinion, start with the offensive line and the construction of it,” the evaluator told Sando. “Then it’s Waldron, especially when you look at the other coordinators in the division. He is clearly fourth. The head coach is fourth. Right now, the quarterback is surviving on his own.”
Bears Have Already Made 1 Change to Struggling Offensive Line
GettyChicago Bears offensive lineman Nate Davis.
Williams has been hit 21 times and sacked 13 times through three games, and both numbers are among the highest in the league.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked Chicago’s offensive line 19th out of 32 teams heading into Week 3 and will likely drop the unit again after it allowed Williams to get hit 6 times and sacked 4 times last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bears already made one major change on the offensive line, replacing right guard Nate Davis with Matt Pryor against Indy last weekend. Davis is in just the second year of a three-year, $30 million deal and has drawn the ire of the coaching staff in recent weeks for his lackluster practice habits.
Primary reserve Ryan Bates is also on injured reserve (IR) with injuries to his shoulder and elbow.
Caleb Williams Struggling Through First 3 Games With Bears
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
One can debate what percentage of Williams’ struggles he or she should hang around the collective neck of an offensive line with zero players inside the top 20 at their respective positions. However, that Williams has struggled mightily through his first three professional starts (1-2) is irrefutable.
Specifically, he has completed 59.3% of his passes for 630 yards, 2 TDs and 4 INTs. Williams has also rushed the football 11 times for 67 yards.
PFF ranks Williams as the 32nd-best quarterback out of 35 players who have seen enough snaps to qualify at the position through the first three weeks of the year. The website rates him better as a rusher of the football than as a thrower, though still below average, and his passing metrics are among the worst in the league over 147 relevant snaps.
The amount of punishment Williams is taking makes the question of who his backup quarterbacks are a rather serious one. Tyson Bagent, an undrafted free agent in 2023 who went 2-2 in relief of Justin Fields last season, is QB2. Meanwhile, 2024 undrafted free agent Austin Reed is on the practice squad.
The Bears host the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Soldier Field on Sunday, September 29.
