Will Caleb Williams become Bears' first 4,000-yard passer in 2024?
The Chicago Bears are the only team in NFL history that has never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards in a single season. Could that change this season with the arrival of former USC star Caleb Williams?
Craig Carton opined that Williams, the Bears' first overall pick in this year's draft, will indeed end the drought for Chicago next season on Friday's edition of "The Carton Show."
"I think if you put Bryce Young on the left side of the spectrum, and you put C.J. Stroud on the right side of the spectrum based on last year and their rookie seasons, I believe that Caleb Williams is going to be much farther to the right on the C.J. Stroud side of the docket than the Bryce Young side," Carton said. "I think it's on the table (Williams throwing for 4,000 yards) because of the weapons they (the Bears) have given him."
Young struggled in his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers, posting a 73.7 passer rating in a 2-15 season, while Stroud won 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors en route to helping the Houston Texans reach the AFC divisional round.
The Bears substantially upgraded their offense this offseason, most notably acquiring wide receiver and six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. They also signed former Chargers tight end Gerald Everett and former Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift. Meanwhile, Chicago selected Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick in the draft (the Bears had two top-10 selections as a result of a 2023 trade with the Panthers, who moved up to select Young at No. 1).
Those players add to a Chicago offense that includes wide receiver DJ Moore, who has racked up 1,100-plus receiving yards in four of the past five seasons, and tight end Cole Kmet, who totaled a career-high 73 receptions last season.
Former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress detailed what a successful rookie season would look like for Williams from a statistical standpoint.
"I think if Caleb Williams is able to get to 3,200-3,500 [yards], 20 touchdowns — I believe that that's a successful season," Burress said, "especially adding D'Andre Swift to the running back position, so we just have to wait and see."
Erik Kramer holds the Bears record for passing yards in a single season, throwing for 3,838 yards in 1995. He also has the franchise record for most passing touchdowns in a single season, throwing for 29 scores that same year.
Jay Cutler, who played for Chicago from 2009-16 and is the franchise's all-time passing leader with 23,443 yards, came close to surpassing Kramer's 1995 campaign, throwing for 3,812 yards in 2014.
Williams was a one-time All-American, the 2022 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner. In said 2022 campaign, Williams completed 66.6% of his passes for 4,537 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns and five interceptions, good for a 168.5 passer rating. He also ran for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns. Williams followed up his Heisman campaign by throwing for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns, while rushing for another 11 scores in 2023.
Williams will make his NFL regular-season debut for the Bears against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 8.
Behind the first impressions Caleb Williams made at Halas Hall at rookie mini camp
Caleb Williams participated in his first weekend in a Chicago Bears uniform during rookie camp. The first impression he left in his two days at Halas Hall was impressive to the coaches overseeing him.