Caleb Williams‘ offseason development will be key for the Bears’ chances of taking a step forward next year. Chicago’s franchise quarterback is set to be fully healthy for 2025, but he did undergo a recent procedure. 
Williams had a minor elective surgery on his right (i.e. throwing) wrist, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports. The procedure removed a cyst. The recovery period in this case is not expected to impact the No. 1 pick’s offseason schedule.
To no surprise, Williams immediately handled starting duties to begin his rookie campaign. The Oklahoma and USC product did not have the season he or the team hoped for, with a midseason coaching change and inconsistent performances resulting in a 5-12 record. Williams was not listed with a wrist ailment at any point during the year, which explains why this surgery has only taken place after the end of the campaign.
The Bears are one of six teams currently in need of a new head coach, and developing Williams is an obvious priority for the organization. The 23-year-old seemed to take a step forward when Thomas Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator, although shortly thereafter Brown took over from Matt Eberflus as head coach. An interview for the full-time gig has taken place, but Chicago is looking into a long list of outside candidates as well.
Regardless of which direction the Bears ultimately go in on the sidelines, Williams’ ability to build off his rookie showing will be a major storyline for the team moving forward. He managed a 62.5% completion percentage and a 20:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2024, adding 489 rushing yards. On the other hand, Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times and improving his decision-making in the pocket (along with upgrades along the offensive line) will be imperative in the future.
Provided his wrist heals in full as expected, though, Williams will be able to take part in Chicago’s offseason program without any injury concerns. Once a coaching hire is made, attention will turn to the team’s roster-building efforts through the spring in preparation for Year 2 of Williams handling QB1 duties.
Could have had Jayden Daniels. Ouch.
It’s not like Caleb played like Ryan Leaf. Still lots of time for him to develop, and he honestly performed admirably for a rookie. Just because Daniels has looked fantastic so far doesn’t make this a bad pick
Agreed, Daniels also benefited from having an established HC in Quinn and Kingsbury as his OC. Daniels is no slouch, the guy won the Heisman, but one year does not make a QB great.
Sorry, but Caleb took a 7-10 team and turned them into a 5-12 team. Daniels took a 4-13 team and turned them into a 12-5 team playing in the NFC Championship.
This is going to be the Bears taking Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes 2.0.
Even if Caleb turns into a serviceable 10 year starter like Kirk Cousins he will likely pale in comparison to Daniels–whose performance has been, literally, historic.
With the ineptitude of the Offensive Scheme and Oline, its a wonder that Williams made it through all 17 games and came out of it only with a cyst in his Wrist. I guess the questions about toughness have been answered. Now lets see if Poles can actually get something right and FINALLY get a good OLine in front of Williams and an OC/HC who can actually give him good guidance..