In comparison to his 2024 NFL Draft counterparts, Caleb Williams has been slow-going in terms of his development. If there are further struggles, the Chicago Bears will be forced to evaluate their short-term options, which could mean benching the former no.1 overall pick before the end of his second professional season.
Would The Bear Contemplate Benching Caleb Williams?
And you can bet on it. According to the oddsmakers at BetOnline, Williams being benched at some point in 2025 has implied odds of 22%. The official designation is +350, with -600 being the payout for “No”.
Caleb Williams has sunk to dead last among all QBs in CPOE (completion percentage over expected), via @NextGenStats. #Bears are leaning hard into the run lately, 29th in pass rate over expectation in the last month. pic.twitter.com/0kdxNdBwBB
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 29, 2025
But could it really happen? New head coach Ben Johnson was brought in to try to get the most out of the talented, highly touted prospect. Williams had a mediocre rookie season in 2024 in which he showed flashes of brilliance, but there was ultimately plenty left to be desired. Under Johnson, though, it was thought that he would be able to realize his talents, and there were high expectations entering training camp and the regular season.
Through the first seven games of the 2025 season, not a whole lot has changed. The Bears do have an improved record at 4-3, but it can be argued that Caleb Williams has been even worse than he was as a rookie. His completion percentage is down slightly, and he is on pace to throw for nearly double the interceptions that he did last year.
Williams Deserves A Larger Sample Size
A benching doesn’t seem imminent, however. Williams hasn’t been terrible. There are starting quarterbacks who have played far worse, but the perception of Chicago’s situation is skewed by Williams having such high expectations.
the Caleb Williams Cycle™ has repeated itself nearly every game this season lol
– looks sloppy and bad on broadcast
– everyone (including me) freaks out
– the film bros come in on Monday and Tuesday and show us it wasn't as bad as we think
– rinse, repeat— Jeremy (@JeromeyR0me) October 28, 2025
They owe their young signal caller a bigger sample size to prove himself in the league, and they don’t have any kind of other legitimate options. The Bears’ backup is Tyson Bagent, who has 3 career touchdown passes to 6 interceptions, and the third string option is 37-year-old Case Keenum.
The Bears will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss this weekend. On Sunday, they will take on the Cincinnati Bengals, and are listed as 2.5-point favorites.
