It has taken longer than anticipated, but Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has reached an inflection point.

Williams, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, has enjoyed more success in his first season with offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson. The 23-year-old has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,136 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 246 yards on the ground and the first three rushing scores of his career. He has even chipped in with a couple of receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Though Williams isn’t on pace to smash statistical totals from his rookie season, he has at least displayed more consistency, and he’s tied for the league lead with four game-winning drives. With that success in clutch situations, it seems like Williams has the potential to become more consistent as he becomes more comfortable.

“Caleb just needed time actually playing QB in a real system,” said an executive who was granted anonymity by The Athletic so he could speak openly. “Expecting him to come out the gates on fire just wasn’t realistic.”

The Bears (6-3) have won six of their last seven games, including fourth-quarter comebacks in back-to-back wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants. No, the Bears haven’t beaten any Super Bowl contenders, but the progress looks like validation of