Can Caleb Williams be the next Joe Burrow? That’s the hope from Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Joe Burrow with the first pick in the 2020 draft, there was no doubt what would happen next.

He didn’t think much of it. No song and dance. No questions asked. Coach Zac Taylor anointed Burrow as the starter from the moment he was drafted.

In his 10-game rookie season — he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee in November — Burrow completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. And a year later, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

The Bears hope they’ve found their Den in Caleb Williams, a No. 1 overall pick who was immediately handed the keys to a struggling NFL franchise.

GO DEEPER

Caleb Williams, Bears ‘D’ makes big plays, faces challenges against Bengals in joint practice

There are pros and cons to starting a rookie in the toughest job in sports. But Burrow knows from experience why it’s practically a must if he’s going to play that season.

“I’ll never understand when you pick a guy that you know is going to be your starter, but then you don’t call him your starter right away,” he said after a joint practice with the Bears on Thursday. “And then he loses all those reps that you would have gotten if you came in as a starter.

“That was great about my situation. Zac (Taylor) told me I was the starter as soon as I got drafted and I got all those reps with the guys in training camp – we didn’t have OTAs that year. Those reps are so valuable and every rep you grow and learn so much from. I think it’s always a challenge if that doesn’t happen.”

Tell us about it.

The Scoop City newsletter

Free, daily NFL updates straight to your inbox.

Free, daily NFL updates straight to your inbox.

JOIN

In 2017, the Bears drafted one of Burrow’s predecessors, Mr. Ohio Football, Mitch Trubisky. He was Mike Glennon’s backup during OTAs, training camp and the first four games of the season before being called into action.

In 2021, the Bears selected Justin Fields. He backed up Andy Dalton until the veteran was injured in the second game of the season. Fields was then thrust into action with some first-team training.

Both situations were incredibly awkward for everyone involved. Neither Trubisky nor Fields showed much in their rookie years, never reached their potential here, and are now both ex-Bears.

One could argue that Williams, like Burrow, is better equipped to start right away than Trubisky and Fields, but since everyone knew they were going to start at some point that season for bad teams, it didn’t make sense to be less prepared. But that’s how it went then, and because of those failures, leadership at Halas Hall is different today.

Williams has taken No. 1 reps since rookie minicamp, and the Bears, who are trying to win this year, are confident he’ll learn on the fly.

When people ask how Williams looks in practice, I say it looks like rookies are used to growing, but the talent and potential is clearly there. Every practice, it seems, he makes some wow throws. You can see them on “Hard Knocks.”

But for one day, Williams wasn’t Lake Forest’s best quarterback.

Welcome to our jungle pic.twitter.com/K8hsMWqkhM

– Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 16, 2024

Thursday was supposed to be the most anticipated day of training camp with the Bengals in Lake Forest for a joint practice before Saturday’s preseason game.

A constant rain made the atmosphere and deviations difficult. Fans were not allowed in and reporters took notes while holding umbrellas.

But there was still a thrill in the air as Burrow and Williams threw passes at the same time on adjacent fields. I felt like I was watching a tennis match and I turned my head to see them dueling with the opposing first team defence. Although it wasn’t perfect, it was football bliss in the drizzle for us.

Although Burrow threw three picks against the Bears’ No. 1 defense — and they certainly told him about it — watching the throws he made almost seemed unnatural.

Where was the indecision? Inaccuracy? The head-scratching interceptions. Until recently, these were the hallmarks of QB play around Halas Hall. (Williams threw a pick on his first seven-on-seven red zone practice game, but settled in quickly.)

Burrow and Williams have known each other since the former hosted the latter on a visit to LSU. They got together this summer in Los Angeles.

Unlike Williams, who is already the toast of Chicago, Burrow had the luxury of debuting during the COVID-19 season without fans.

But as an Ohio native who took over the reins of an Ohio team coming off a Heisman/national title season, he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He believes Williams’ big-market experience at USC will help him adjust to the pressures of the NFL.

While there’s no game plan for immediate quarterback success in Chicago, Burrow has some ideas about how it’s worked for him.

“I think what separates people is when you can maintain a uniform aura, a personality, whatever you want to call it,” Burrow said. “There will be ups and downs. But you can come back the next day and do the same way you did the week before, whether you won or lost. Whether you threw four picks or had five touchdowns. You just have to have the mindset at the end of the day that you’re going to be better.”

Burrow has always been supremely confident, leading his country-town high school to an unlikely appearance in the Ohio state championship game. And once he started at LSU, his second school, he took off. Williams didn’t have the same kind of storybook ending to his college career, but he is a fellow Heisman winner.

While Burrow was beloved coming into the NFL, Williams was criticized, mostly for his alleged personality quirks — remember the anonymous football guy who compared him to Prince?

As a rookie leading a veteran offense, Williams looks confident and in control. The players respect the talent, so he will have no problem commanding. We can’t know how he will handle the spotlight and the pressure until the season starts. Burrow reminded us what NFL players mean when they talk about “grind.”

“What you don’t realize at first is how long the season is,” Burrow said. “You grow and learn as time goes on how to maintain your body and mind for those tough times. Because (weeks) 11 through 15 is a grind. You only get one week bye. My senior year of college, I had 12 games and two bye weeks.”

Is there a recipe for success as a rookie QB? As Burrow observed, there is no teacher like experience.

“The season is a chance, you learn from every rep,” Burrow said. “As long as you’re growing and learning and having great coaches, then you’re good.”

(Photo: Rich Barnes/Getty Images)