Bears' Super Bowl Hopes Hinge on Caleb Williams Taking Big Leap Amid NFL Rumors

Caleb Williams entered the NFL with lofty expectations, the No. 1 draft pick for whom success was almost guaranteed and whose dynamic playmaking abilities were exactly what the Chicago Bears needed to get back into Super Bowl contention.

Year one was a mixed bag, with 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions and 3,541 yards. His 68 sacks, though, highlighted a player who both did not have a great offensive line in front of him but also held onto the ball too long while trying to make something happen down the field, rather than dumping it off to an open halfback or tight end two or three yards in front of him.

Beyond that area of focus, how he carries himself from a maturity standpoint will be an area that his teammates, executives, and officials from other clubs pay close attention to, as Jeremy Fowler reported on ESPN's SportsCenter.

He noted:

"Leaguewide, talking to other teams who are watching it closely because the ability is massive but how does he comport himself on the field? The Bears have already been working with him on body language, how you're handling yourself in the huddle, on the sidelines when a play doesn't go right. And the word out of Chicago is he's handling himself well there."

He added that the offseason has been a great one for Williams and that he has "really taken to Ben Johnson's hard, aggressive coaching."

There were times during a tough rookie season, in which the Bears went 5-12, where Williams' body language was not always reflective of the leader he needs to be given his position and draft status. His teammates will look to him to set the example, to stay strong in the face of adversity, so it is no surprise that so many will have their eye on that part of how he presents himself.

Is he watching tape? Is he learning from his mistakes? Is he picking up on the intricacies of his game that he must tweak to be able to get to that next level? The answers to those questions will be as important as developing into the leader and face of the franchise that the Bears believe he can be.

On the field, he will have fewer excuses not to improve upon the foundation he laid for himself in his rookie season.

Chicago went out and got him an offensive-minded head coach in Johnson, who turned Jared Goff's career around in Detroit. They beefed up that offensive line with the off-season additions of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson, shelling out $129.5 million to give him the best protection possible.

Add that to offensive skill players such as explosive running back DeAndre Swift, wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, and tight end Cole Kmet, and you have a player who has been set up for success.

Now it is on him to grow and evolve his maturity in and around the locker room and as a player on the field to ensure that the Bears, who have given him everything he needs to succeed in the NFL, have a legitimate shot at competing for a championship. They will go where Williams leads them.

For the sake of that front office and the fans in the Windy City, they hope that is to the victor's stage at a Super Bowl and not the No. 1 overall draft pick again in three years.