The Chicago Bears are hoping that 2025-26 will be the year they break through and end their long playoff drought with quarterback Caleb Williams leading the charge. Unfortunately, the video that has come out of Williams at Bears training camp this summer hasn't been particularly encouraging thus far.
Recently, FS1 sports media personality Colin Cowherd gave his honest take on Williams.
“Two things can be true: I think he's a huge talent, and I also think his critics are valid,” said Cowherd, via Herd w/Colin Cowherd on X, formerly Twitter. “…Caleb Williams is super talented, but you're now starting to see last year OTA's in camp, some of the same problems, not as correctable as many of us think… We’re gonna know by early October if this guy can play.”
Williams flashed plenty of the talent that allowed him to be the number one overall pick last year during his rookie season with the Bears, but he also quickly found out that some of the play-extending maneuvers he used during his time at USC don't work as well against NFL-level athletes, which led to some growing pains.
Bears fans would certainly like to see those mistakes cleaned up as much as possible heading into 2025.
A big season for the Bears
The Bears have the unfortunate distinction of being members of the vaunted NFC North, which was among the most dominant divisions in NFL history last year (although it also didn't see a single one of its members win a playoff game, which took some of the steam out of that).
The Bears started off relatively well last year despite a slow beginning from Williams, but eventually the team encountered an extended losing streak, with brutal losses to the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions in puzzling fashion giving some fans bad flashbacks.
Now with Ben Johnson leading the charge and Williams preparing for his second season with the team, Bears fans are hoping that this is the year the team will finally break through and make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Chicago hasn't won a postseason game since all the way back in 2011.
The Bears will kick off their season on September 8 against the Minnesota Vikings in prime time.
