Through four games, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has shown tremendous improvement. In fact, you might not know it if you were simply going off of some of the public perception, fan opinions or baseless criticism over his play early on.
But, Williams has done what a rookie quarterback should be doing, and that's to show improvement from week to week. It's something fans didn't see consistently with former starter Justin Fields, which is one of the reasons why the Bears pursued a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past offseason.
As the Bears moved forward into the Williams era, the Steelers and their fan base are now enjoying their Fields era. The former Bears quarterback has seemingly won the starting job thanks to a Russell Wilson injury, and doesn't look to be giving it back anytime soon.
Still, there are many reasons why both teams won this trade and why it was the best decision for all involved. Williams was the smart decision by Chicago, while Fields was a great pickup for Pittsburgh. Both can be true.
Yet, there are some who still aren't convinced, especially those who have witnessed Fields play up close and personal.
Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons conducts his very own podcast on a regular basis, and on a recent episode of The Edge, he dove into why he believes the Bears made a mistake moving on from Fields, in favor of Williams.
More Bears news:
"I think Justin won the team over. Justin is really, really good. ... I'm glad that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin [have] been able to get his confidence back, because the Bears probably stripped him of it.
"They kinda said, 'We don't need you anymore. You're less valuable.' They kinda just shipped him off. I thought the Bears should've kept him. And I thought Justin was a legit talent, and now he's somewhere else flourishing," Parsons said.
Here's the thing. Parsons is probably right in his assessment of what the Bears did to Fields. They didn't do much to surround him with talent, nor protection in front of him -- hello, Caleb? The latter problem still applies to this very day.
But, Parsons isn't wrong when he said the Bears did a number on Fields' confidence. The coaching, play calling and overall handling of his career in Chicago was far from ideal. So, the fact that he's thriving in an environment like Pittsburgh and under a head coach such as Mike Tomlin is no surprise.
Meanwhile, Williams will have to continue to prove his doubters wrong, and I believe he will. It is going to take time, but there is a reason why he was the consensus no. 1 overall pick, and the Bears know it.
