Caleb Williams has been a lighting rod for criticism this offseason and there really isn’t any good reason for it.

National outlets went overboard after a practice clip went viral of Williams missing his throws towards a net. Williams addressed the unwarranted criticism and laughed that people were taking it seriously.

It also hasn’t helped that Williams didn’t play in the preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, which was also critiqued by certain individuals.

The 2025 NFL season will help to create a new narrative, but there is still almost a month before the Bears will host the Vikings in Week 1 at Soldier Field. So, that provides time to review last season and The Athletic’s Mike Sando released his latest “NFL QB Tiers.” In the in-depth article, the quarterbacks were ranked in five tiers and NFL coaches and executives provided anonymous comments on the quarterbacks.

Here is what NFL coaches and executives had to say about Williams as he enters Year 2:

Williams was listed in the third tier and ranked 23rd out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks. He received 30 Tier 3 votes, 14 Tier 4 votes and five Tier 2 votes. Tier 3 featured 11 quarterbacks and only Bryce Young and Kirk Cousins finished lower than Williams. Second-year quarterbacks Bo Nix (Tied 20th) and Drake Maye (No. 22) ranked ahead of the Bears’ quarterback in Tier 3. Jayden Daniels made his debut on the list as the sixth-best quarterback — first in Tier 2.

According to the article, “A Tier 3 quarterback is a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best.”

There were five quotes from evaluators in Williams’ section, and skepticism was a common denominator.

“He’s got the talent to go up, but in terms of processing ability and getting the ball out of his hands, it was the worst we played against,” a defensive coordinator said. “He just holds the ball forever. I’m thinking, ‘The ball should go right there! Throw it! Throw it!’ And he did not throw it.”

A head coach also acknowledged Williams’ slow processing.

“He is definitely a 1 talent,” a head coach said. “I just think it’s going to take him longer than Jayden Daniels. He is not playing fast right now. There is something there. His processing to me was alarming watching the tape.”

Opposing defenses sacked Williams a league-high 68 times last season. Some were clearly on the offensive line, which general manager Ryan Poles revamped, but there a number of sacks that were credited to the quarterback. One coach mentioned that Williams appeared nervous in the pocket and had the “inability to see and play on time,” but he couldn’t pinpoint if “that was him (Williams) or coaching.”

The addition of Ben Johnson as the team’s head coach and play caller should help Williams. Voters viewed that addition as a positive for the young quarterback.

“He’s very talented,” another defensive coordinator said. “Ben is more under center. Caleb is more of a gun quarterback. That dynamic is going to be interesting to me. I would not be shocked if the kid plays well. Ben is good. He can adjust. I’m sure they will find a happy medium somewhere.”

Finding that happy medium will be a big part of Williams’ first season with Johnson as his head coach. Over the course of the 2025 season, there will be plenty of up and down moments, something one NFL general manager doesn’t view as necessarily a bad thing.

“I think that will come in time,” a GM said. “Maybe it is a little bit like Josh (Allen) early in his career, where he has so much good other stuff that you will live with some negative plays, and as he gets more snaps under his belt, that part will come.”