EXCLUSIVE
Inside Caleb Williams’ opening Chicago Bears months as ‘leader and learner’ makes his mark on teammates following ‘too emotional’ fears
Caleb Williams has wasted no time integrating himself with his new Bears teammates.
The former USC Trojans quarterback was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bears and is already getting to work as the new face of the Chicago-based franchise.
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The 22-year-old Williams has been lauded as a transcendent talent after a stellar college career with Oklahoma and the University of Southern California that included a Heisman Trophy.
But Williams' temperament and 'emotional' disposition have been called into question throughout his college career and build-up to the NFL Draft.
The signal caller went viral during the 2023 college football season when he cried in his mother’s arms after his USC team suffered a 10-point loss to Washington.
He also paints his nails, waved a pink iPhone case at the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament and broke down watching his mom's emotional post-draft message.
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Many have praised Williams' openness and authenticity, as well as his willingness to show off his vulnerabilities.
Others have suggested the uncompromising pros could chew him up and spit him out.
But for Williams' new Bears teammates, there's no such concerns about his ability to deal with the big leagues.
"Nothing has surprised me [about Williams]," Bears wide receiver D. J. Moore exclusively told talkSPORT.
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"He's a great leader on the field. He's just one of the guys off the field. I went into it again to know him with an open mind and he's been nothing but great and amazing on the field because he's just a learner and just wants to learn to lead the offense and just become the great player that he will be."
Williams is an enigmatic personality whose confidence can often be misconstrued as arrogance.
He idolizes Aaron Rodgers, embraces Patrick Mahomes comparisons and he's hoping to eclipse Tom Brady's Super Bowl legacy and win eight world titles.
Williams' ambitions are undeniably high, perhaps too high for someone who never won a national championship and is yet to play an NFL snap.
With that said, teammate Moore loves what he's seen from Williams so far, and suggests the 'super competitive' quarterback simply wants to win at all costs - something that can only be a positive for the once lowly Bears.
"When you're super competitive, it brings the best out of everybody," Moore says of Williams' edge.
"So with him being like that, it's just going to make everybody else around us want to play even harder for each other."
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Williams is certainly a heart-on-his-sleeve quarterback who isn't afraid to tap into his emotions.
UK fans will get to see that first-hand in Week 6 of the new NFL when Williams' Bears face Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2024 NFL London Games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Some may view Williams' disposition as problematic, or that he lacks the cold, ruthless edge of a Mahomes or Brady that will ultimately help him become a perennial winner.
That's all for another day, though. Right now, Williams leads by example and his teammates love him for it, according to NFL Draft expert Matt Miller.
"The cool thing is that his teammates love him," Miller exclusively told talkSPORT.
"He is this modern quarterback who’s not afraid to [show emotion]. It’s not like he’s slamming his helmet down on the sideline in frustration. He’s emotional.
"As long as I’ve been doing this, the big question you ask is, 'does this player love the game of football?' And so now you have a young man who realizes his college football career is over and he’s weeping on the sideline.
"I would take that 10 times out of 10 over a guy who’s bumping into his coach on the sideline or slamming his helmet down. We’ve seen bad body language from quarterbacks at times, and we’ve seen how that does affect a team.
"With Caleb, you don’t have to worry about any of that [bad boy language]."
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Williams will now have the chance to show the world why he was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in a draft class loaded with top-tier quarterback talent.
The Bears, who are the only NFL franchise without a 4,000-yard passer in its history and haven't been to a Super Bowl since 2006 or won one since 1985, made major steps to accommodate Williams' arrival after securing the top pick in this year's draft.
They moved previous starting quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers and made tons of other big roster moves in what could potentially be a franchise-altering offseason.
Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard and veteran safety Jonathan Owens were added to bolster Chicago's secondary while the acquisition of six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen, former Eagles running back D’Andre Swift and ex Chargers TE Gerald Everett will provide plenty of offensive firepower for Williams to utilize next season.
Williams will now be the first top-five rookie quarterback to inherit two receivers coming off 1,200-yard seasons (Allen, Moore).
He'll also have former Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze at his disposal after the Bears drafted him with the ninth overall pick and a solid pass-catching tight end option in Cole Kmet, who was selected in the second round of April's draft.
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Williams has seemingly landed in a perfect environment on a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.
If the former Trojan has a rookie campaign like many believe he will, there's no reason he can't have a C. J. Stroud-like impact on a Bears franchise starving for success.
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