“The Clock Is Ticking”: Caleb Williams’ Window to Prove He’s the Bears’ Franchise QB May Be Shorter Than Expected

In the lengthy April Esquire magazine article on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, writer Brian O'Keefe buries an interesting nugget very near the end.

Those who could get through to this point in the piece found something regarding how much time Williams has to prove himself. It's an issue, although maybe not yet one of great urgency. It will be soon enough.

Without naming the source, O'Keefe quoted a "veteran NFL personnel executive as saying Ben Johnson's arrival as coach buys the Bears quarterback more time to prove himself.

"He's definitely going to get this year," the source told O'Keefe. "I'd say midway through the 2026 season, they'll  know."

What he thinks they'll know by mid-2026 is whether Williams is headed down the same path as Justin Fields and right out of town. 

Where Williams is at

The clock and NFL calendar wait for no man, and the amount of time might sound accurate, but coach Ben Johnson's past success at building an offense might allow him to make this determination even earlier. This is a great unknown because he's only worked with veteran QB Jared Goff.

It is officially quarterback rating season now. CBS Cody Benjamin gave Fields a friendly 16th ranking. It's a positive considering Williams finished last year poorly ranked by everyone. He was 24th in the NFL.com ranking of every quarterback who started games last year.

"Perhaps no young gunslinger is better equipped for a seismic leap," Benjamin wrote

More rankings will come from Pro Football Focus, NFL.com, and from Chris Simms, whose ranking reveal is always a big part of the offseason.

Rankings are one thing. How the team feels about the QB is another.

Williams critiqued himself

Williams, himself, offered what he feels he needs to show the new coaching staff when he gave up a critique of himself for Esquire.

"Talented," Williams told O'Keefe. "Has work to do. Going to get a lot better. Learning. Gets better throughout the game.”

Of this there can be little doubt. At least he got better throughout games last year when they were trailing right away, but they spent an awful lot of the remainder of games trying to coming back with defenses often playing softer in coverage as they defended the advantage.

Williams owned a passer rating of only 78.8 last year in first quarters, then 95.3 in fourth quarters and 108.3 in overtime. He was at 88.3 in second quarters. However, he was only at 81.2 in fourth quarters when within seven points.

There's no doubt he needs to be better when the game is more competitive or in doubt.

At least his start in the first quarters was far better than Fields' was. Fields had a 55.9 first-quarter passer rating as a rookie.

Williams' fourth-quarters as a rookie were far better than Fields' fourth quarters for his entire Chicago career. Fields had a 61.28 fourth-quarter passer rating in Chicago to Williams' 95.3 last year.

It was a decent starting point for Williams even with the questions about why they kept falling behind early in games. Was it the fault of the offensive coordinators or Williams?

The pressure is on

Maybe more will be known this year with an actual offensive play caller who knows what he's doing.

Whether there is patience if Williams struggles early is the big question. He might not have all the time the unnamed executive suggested to O'Keefe.

Already, there is external pressure being applied, this from ESPN's Adam Schefter of all people.

"I know they went out and added three offensie linemen and another tight end and another wide receiver, but really this comes down to whether Ben Johnson can make Caleb Williams the quarterback the Bears thought they were getting when they drafted him No. 1 overall, one slot before Washington took Jayden Daniels," Schefter said.

Considering all the pressure, and that he's already had one year in the books, it's safe to wonder if Williams will be given all the way into the middle of the 2026 season to establish himself.

At least the start was encouraging enough, and Johnson has had only success as a play caller. The outlook is positive, but the clock is already ticking.