'Fearless' Caleb Williams Praised by NFL HC After Bears' Playoff Run, 'This Guy is Special'

Caleb Williams made a significant leap from his first to second season in the NFL, and one head coach believes there is more in store as he enters his third campaign.

"I've got all these cutups on him, and I'm going, 'This guys is special,'" the head coach said of the Chicago Bears signal-caller in Tuesday's quarterback tier ranking piece from Mike Sando of The Athletic.

"He makes unbelievable throws, and he's fearless."

Chicago made Williams its franchise quarterback when it selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, but his rookie season was defined by coaching changes, offensive line struggles and inconsistent play.

Yet 2025 brought stability and offensive explosiveness after the Bears hired head coach Ben Johnson and paired him with the young quarterback. Williams threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 388 yards and three scores on the ground as he led Chicago to an NFC North crown and its first playoff win since the 2010 season.

In Sando's piece, he jumped from the No. 23 quarterback to a tie for 11th, which was a higher leap than anyone except for Daniel Jones and Drake Maye. He is listed in tier two, but another season of excellence could change that.

"I think Caleb's going from a 2 to a possible 1," an NFL executive said. "A couple of plays he made late in the year and then in the playoffs, not many people can make those plays. You saw it get better and better as they progressed."

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It was those magical moments that stood out the most, as the USC product directed seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Two of those instances came against the rival Green Bay Packers when the Bears overcame a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of their Week 16 matchup to win in overtime and then scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of their playoff win to bounce back from a 21-6 hole.

Even in Chicago's Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Williams dazzled with the game on the line when he sprinted straight back to avoid pressure, faded away and hit Cole Kmet with a perfectly placed deep ball in the corner of the end zone on fourth down to force overtime.

With more plays like that in 2026, the Bears will be poised to challenge for the playoffs again as Williams climbs the quarterback rankings even more.