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Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is already feeling the wrath of the Windy City faithful—and he hasn’t even played a regular season snap yet. After a practice video emerged showing Williams missing multiple open receivers and looking visibly uncomfortable during routine drills, social media ignited into a frenzy of criticism. For a city that has long been desperate for a franchise quarterback to finally rise from the ashes of decades of mediocrity, this early glimpse into Williams’ on-field struggles during camp felt like déjà vu. The viral video was barely a minute long, but in today’s reactionary sports culture, that was more than enough to start a firestorm.
The clip in question features Williams misfiring on several throws during red zone drills. One throw was a high incompletion to a wide-open tight end near the goal line. Another pass, intended for the sideline, sailed over the receiver’s head and was nearly intercepted by a third-string corner. While it’s common for rookies to have growing pains, the context of Chicago’s tortured quarterback history adds gasoline to any flicker of concern. Bears fans are notoriously passionate, and their patience with quarterback play has been worn razor-thin by years of futility. From Cade McNown to Rex Grossman to Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields, the list of failed QB saviors has grown long and depressing. Now, with Caleb Williams coming in as the consensus best QB prospect since Andrew Luck—or even as lofty as Patrick Mahomes, according to some pre-draft evaluations—expectations have been nothing short of transformative. So when the first widely circulated video of him in Bears gear shows him looking flustered, the fanbase reacts as if the sky is falling.
Social media turned ruthless quickly. On X (formerly Twitter), #CalebBust began trending in Chicago before practice had even ended. Some fans compared him to Johnny Manziel, a Heisman-winning talent whose NFL career fizzled out in spectacular fashion. Others began posting side-by-side clips of Justin Fields at this stage last season, suggesting that maybe the Bears had been too quick to move on from their 2021 first-round pick. One user wrote, “Only the Bears could somehow downgrade after picking first overall,” while another said, “I’ve seen enough. Bring back Jay Cutler.” These reactions, while extreme, reflect a broader anxiety that has engulfed the fanbase for years. It’s not just about Caleb Williams missing open throws in a non-contact practice—it’s about Bears fans being haunted by the ghost of quarterback busts past. They’ve been here too many times before. They’ve been told the franchise was finally fixed too many times before. And when the supposed answer looks shaky out of the gate, panic sets in fast.
Williams himself has remained composed despite the swirling criticism. After practice, he addressed the media and acknowledged that things weren’t perfect but emphasized that the goal of camp is development. “I’m learning every day. That’s the whole point of this period—to get better, to make mistakes now, and to improve on them,” he said. His poise in the face of backlash speaks to the maturity that scouts praised throughout the pre-draft process. Coaches and teammates also came to his defense, pointing out that the team is installing a new offense, and timing between quarterbacks and receivers often takes weeks to build. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron downplayed the significance of the viral clip, noting that the film only shows isolated moments and doesn’t reflect the totality of Williams’ progress in camp. “It’s a few plays out of hundreds. We’re looking at the big picture,” Waldron said.
Still, for Bears fans, the optics were brutal. They’ve seen too many “promising” camps from quarterbacks who couldn’t put it together when it counted. They’ve heard too many assurances from coaching staffs and front offices that insisted everything was on schedule, only for the team to finish 5-12. The scars run deep. With the Chicago Bears being one of only a handful of franchises to have never had a 4,000-yard passer in a single season, hope is fragile. Caleb Williams was supposed to be different. He was supposed to exude confidence, dominate the huddle, and wow everyone in practice. Instead, the first public takeaway from his training camp performance is that he looked lost.
The criticism didn’t stop at the fans. Several analysts also weighed in on the clip. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky warned against overreacting, but he admitted that the footwork and timing in the video were concerning. “You want to see crisp mechanics at this stage. He looked a little jittery. That’s fixable, but it has to happen quickly,” Orlovsky said. Others, like NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, were more forgiving, citing that elite prospects like Peyton Manning and Josh Allen also looked rough early in their careers before putting it all together. However, some less charitable commentators didn’t hold back. One Chicago sports radio host remarked, “If you didn’t tell me who that was, I would’ve assumed he was an undrafted free agent invited for depth.”
It didn’t help that the Bears’ defense, which was top-10 in takeaways last season, reportedly dominated the offense in other portions of practice. Multiple beat reporters noted that the secondary was “feasting” on Williams’ inexperience, jumping routes and creating turnovers. Some observers speculated that the coaching staff was intentionally throwing complex coverage packages at Williams early to test his adaptability, but others worried that the Bears may be repeating past mistakes—namely, throwing a young QB into the fire without adequate support. The offensive line, while improved from last year, still has question marks. The receiving corps boasts DJ Moore and rookie Rome Odunze, but lacks the depth that elite offenses enjoy. If Williams is constantly under pressure in camp, how will that translate when the real bullets start flying in September?
The timing of the video going viral also compounded the issue. It happened just days after an ESPN feature praising Williams for his maturity and early leadership surfaced. That article had painted a glowing picture of his integration into the locker room, how veterans respected him, and how coaches believed he was ahead of schedule. The video, however, told a different story—or at least, appeared to. Suddenly, optimism turned into skepticism. The same fans who were excited to buy Williams’ jersey are now the ones filling comment sections with calls for caution and claims that Chicago has been fooled again.
Yet it’s important to remember that training camp is not the final exam. It’s the first draft. Many legendary quarterbacks have had brutal first camps. Troy Aikman looked like a deer in headlights. Eli Manning struggled to complete passes against second-string defenders. Even Patrick Mahomes, now considered the gold standard, was famously inconsistent in practices before taking over in Kansas City. The key difference is patience and development. The concern in Chicago is that the organization has historically failed to develop quarterbacks properly, choosing instead to cycle through coaches, systems, and personnel without a coherent plan. Caleb Williams could be a generational talent, but without the right infrastructure, even diamonds crack under pressure.
Inside Halas Hall, the team is preaching calm. Head coach Matt Eberflus reiterated that Williams is still “installing the basics” of the offense and reminded reporters that there is no quarterback controversy. Williams is the starter, and there are no plans to slow that down. The Bears have built this offseason around his skill set. They drafted Rome Odunze to give him another elite target. They signed veteran center Coleman Shelton to stabilize the line. They even brought in D’Andre Swift to give him a dynamic backfield weapon. This isn’t a rebuild—it’s a recalibration. But the margin for error is thin, and Chicago fans know it. One bad throw in practice becomes a trending topic. One shaky performance becomes a referendum on the franchise’s future.
Whether this moment becomes a mere footnote in Williams’ rise or the first red flag in a longer list of disappointments remains to be seen. The NFL is an unforgiving league, and first impressions carry weight. In a city starving for football success, patience is not just short—it’s practically extinct. Caleb Williams has the talent, the poise, and the pedigree to change the story. But for now, with one viral clip and a city on edge, the pressure has already begun to mount. Every practice rep from this point forward will be scrutinized, analyzed, and dissected by a fanbase desperate for hope, but conditioned to expect heartbreak. It’s unfair, it’s intense, and it’s the reality of being a quarterback in Chicago.
