As soon as the Chicago Bears landed the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, everyone expected them to select Caleb Williams, who was dubbed as a cant-miss generational talent. Fast forward to Week 18, and the Bears have fired their head coach and offensive coordinator in what can only be described as a disappointing season.
One area the Bears have struggled is in pass protection. No quarterback has been sacked more than Williams, who’s hit the turf 67 times this year. The next closest team is the Cleveland Browns, but they’ve started three different quarterbacks and have suffered injuries to several key pieces of their offensive line.
The Bears have suffered injuries too, but this was always projected to be a weak offensive line unit. As of now, the Bears enter the Week 18 NFL schedule ranking as the 29th-best or fourth-worst offensive line in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
Yet, the Bears’ rookie quarterback wants everyone to know it’s not the line’s fault that he’s taken so many sacks. In fact, Williams says to put the blame on him in his debut season.
Related: See where Caleb Williams lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
Caleb Williams says blame him, not the Chicago Bears’ offensive line
Sacks can be attributed to a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes, the pass rush is just that good. Other times a pass protector simply misses his block or misunderstands his assignment. Other times, it’s due to a quarterback holding onto the ball too long or failing to navigate a clouded pocket.
In the Bears’ case, it’s a bit of everything as Chicago closes out a frustrating season. Caleb Williams isn’t quite on track to break David Carr’s record of being sacked 76 times in a season, but he’s only nine away from tying the mark. Of course, Carr accomplished this ‘feat’ in just 16 games, whereas Williams is getting prepared to play in his 17th game.
While it’s extremely unlikely that Williams would break Carr’s record, it’s worth noting that he did get sacked nine times in one game against the New England Patriots earlier this year, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibilities.
Still, as much pressure as Williams has faced, he wants the world to point the finger at him, instead of his offensive line.
“The stupid connotation behind my offense line being bad is not the truth. I’ve taken a good amount of sacks that have been my fault. The connotation behind my offensive line has been annoying and frustrating because they work their tail off to be able to go out there. The negative connotation behind them, they come in and work their butt off each day, each week.
Caleb Williams on Chicago Bears’ offensive line
I’ve taken sacks, yes. And a good amount have been on me, whether it’s small things of getting the ball out of my hands and maybe dirting it, not trying to find the perfect route, perfect play, maybe it’s just throwing it out of bounds, dirting it, finding the checkdown faster. And the other one is not trying to make plays all the time.”
According to Next Gen Stats, Williams takes the 13th-longest time to throw among quarterbacks this season, averaging 2.91 seconds before getting the ball out. Yet, several others ahead of him have been more successful at avoiding sacks.
Sometimes, it’s due to their mobility, like Lamar Jackson, who takes the most time to throw, averaging 3.15 seconds per dropback. Others, as Williams said, are trying to find the perfect play, such as Sam Darnold, who ranks third with 3.08 seconds to throw.
Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa ranks on the opposite end of the spectrum, averaging just 2.42 seconds to throw. For the record, Jackson has taken 23 sacks, Darnold has taken 46, and Tagovailoa has taken just 21 but has started just 11 games.
So, while Williams is taking sacks at a high rate, there are plenty of ways to get the job done. As the 23-year-old continues to refine his skillset, chances are he’ll figure out a better way to avoid sacks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Bears shouldn’t improve their offensive line and better protect their franchise quarterback too.