Let’s Not Get Too Carried Away With Caleb Williams Hype — Yet

There's legitimate optimism in Chicago about the Bears entering the 2024 season, and it's largely thanks to one man: rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Bears, despite being one of the NFL's oldest franchises, have never had a no-doubt, all-time great at quarterback. Sure, Sid Luckman is in the Hall of Fame, but that was a different sport, as evidenced by a career completion percentage of under 52% with 137 touchdowns to just 132 interceptions.

That Chicago has never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards in a season -- there have been 29 4,000-yard passers over the last three seasons -- is maybe one of the most incomprehensible stats in the modern NFL. So, yeah, when the Bears take an uber-talented player like Williams with the No. 1 pick in the draft, it's going to generate some hope.

Aside from the general banana-in-the-tailpipe vibe that has anchored Chicago Bears football for the better part of the last 30 years, the Williams hype feels a bit excessive largely because of the situation. Rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle. That's nothing new, and it's unwise to believe Williams and the Bears won't endure growing pains.

NESN.com's Ricky Doyle and Mike Cole discussed it this week on "The Spread," NESN's football picks podcast.

"Do I think Caleb Williams is different than most rookie quarterbacks? Yes. Part of that is because he's landing in much softer landing spot than a lot of rookie quarterbacks do," Doyle said in their Week 1 preview. "But from a betting standpoint, the typical first-year quarterback arch is you struggle early, you find your stride and have a late-season dip. I'm not convinced he's immune to that."

It wouldn't be surprising if the Tennessee Titans present a tough test for Williams and the Bears in the opener. The Bears were 4.5-point favorites earlier in the week, a number that was down to 3.5 on Friday, perhaps a sign bettors were backing off Williams and the Bears.

That could also say something about the Titans, who saw their own young quarterback, Will Levis, struggle in Year 1. New-look Tennesssee is going to be motivated to start the Brian Callahan era on a high note, too.

"I like what they've done to build around Levis," Cole said. "If Levis sucks, he sucks, and there's nothing he can do about that. But they've gone out of their way to improve his situation year over year."

Either way, this is one of the rare times this season the Titans will have the experience advantage over their opponent.

"This is just a tough spot if you're Caleb Williams to start your career," Doyle argued. "The expectations could not be any higher for this Bears team in Week 1. I think they struggle a little bit."

It doesn't get any easier for the Bears after their Week 1 home tilt with the Titans. They'll follow that up with consecutive road games in Houston and Indianapolis, respectively, before hosting the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field.