Creator of The Athletic’s new QB metric explains why it ranks Bears’ Caleb Williams like a bum

The Chicago Bears expect big things from Caleb Williams this season. And he seems to finally feel at home. However, the creator of The Athletic’s new quarterback metric explains why it ranks Williams like a bum.

Williams somehow ranks No. 23 on the list, according to The Athletic. Austin Mock anticipated the criticism.

“Why is Caleb Williams ranked so low?” Mock wrote. “Let me explain QBI’s process. First and foremost, the Chicago Bears quarterback finished 21st in dropback success rate among qualified quarterbacks last year. When a QB rates below-average at consistently manufacturing successful plays, that’s a tough place to start.

“Then we move on to the supporting cast: QBI really didn’t like how inefficient Williams was despite boasting pristine protection; my model graded the Bears’ offensive line as the top pass-protecting unit in the NFL in 2025. QBI did like that Williams avoided negative plays, as he limited both interceptions and sacks, but overall, the down-to-down efficiency just wasn’t there.”

Bears QB Caleb Williams got several dings in the rankings

However, Mock said Williams can easily move up the list.

“This doesn’t mean QBI won’t grade Williams much higher this year with improved play,” Mock wrote. “In fact, you can make the argument that QBI thinks Williams still has a lot of room to grow, and that should excite Bears fans about how high his ceiling is. But for now, Williams has work to do before QBI considers him a top-10 quarterback.”

For now, the Bears are plenty happy with their guy behind center. And Williams probably won’t mind adding Mock’s QBI to his list of things that motivate him. Included in the mix is last year’s playoff interception against the Rams, according to The Athletic.

“It burns,” he said. “It burns. It’s frustrating. Still. It still bothers me today. Every single time that play pops up. Or if the Cole Kmet play pops up, it feels like it was for nothing in a sense.”

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