Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson gave his honest take on Caleb Williams's development. On Friday on 'The Pivot' podcast, he was questioned if he had seen enough from the 2022 Heisman winner to be viewed as a 'playoff quarterback' in the league.
Johnson, who penned a four-year deal worth $76 million with the team in March 2024, said that he can not comment on it because he doesn't know how a 'playoff quarterback' functions. However, the cornerback did give Williams his flowers for putting in the work this season.
"Honestly, I wouldn't want to dip my hand into something that's not mine," Johnson said. "I don't know what that (playoff quarterback) looks like. I mean, respectfully, before him, we had Justin (Fields). He didn't really get opportunity to really show too much. ... We've been through a lot of quarterbacks.
"I don't know what that looks like mentally, playing them, looking at it through the TV. It's like Tommy's (Brady) cool, calm, collective, he always gets through two minute drives. ...We see him putting in a level of work, I feel like some guys make up is just a little different.
"And I feel like, for me, I'm not going to say, 'Oh yeah, I see him doing it,' or I see him not doing. I know he's definitely taking steps. I definitely see his car a lot longer than than it was. He's definitely taking those steps."
During his rookie debut as the QB1 last year, Caleb Williams could only muster a 5-12 campaign with Bears. He registered 3,541 yards, 20 TDs passing and was sacked 68 times on the field.
During this year's season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams had registered 210 yards and two total touchdowns. However, his performance dipped in the second half, which resulted in the Vikings securing a 24-27 win at the Soldier Field.
NFL analyst slams Caleb Williams amid his struggles with the Bears
After their shameful defeat to the Vikings at home, there is an air of uncertainty regarding Caleb Williams' chances of success under new coach Ben Johnson.
On Tuesday, NFL analyst Doug Gottlieb acknowledged these issues while mentioning their impact on the team. He also highlighted the inconsistency in the quarterback's game in Week 1.
"The hardest thing to do in coaching is teaching a team how to win," Gottlieb said on his show. "Caleb Williams misses some throws. Caleb Williams looked overwhelmed against some of the pressure. ... There's some things he does really well. But Caleb Williams is more the symptom than the problem. And it's a symptom of the greater thing which is, the Bears don't know how to win those games, and the Vikings do."
The Bears take on the Lions on September 14.