Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is facing criticism after a former NFL scout pointed to one aspect of his game that may have contributed to many of his passing problems in his rookie season.

In a recent X post, former NFL scout Daniel Kelly observed that Williams' problem was not dropped passes but rather how slowly he got rid of the ball.

"Williams had the second slowest time to throw in the NFL last season (3.20 seconds, Next Gen Stats). That's the problem,”  Kelly wrote on June 28. “He can't get the ball out of his hand on time. With that kind of slow time to throw, Williams shoulders the responsibility and the blame for passes that go wrong."

The former scout argued that quarterbacks control the timing, speed, and placement of their throws. But this also makes them responsible for plays that break down.

In his rookie season, Williams completed 351 of 562 passing attempts with a 3.03-second time to throw. The QB struggled while making quick throws. Among 25 qualified quarterbacks, he ranked near the bottom.

With his production speaking for itself, Williams had no way to brush off Kelly's criticism. And this is not the first time that the ex-scout has criticized the Bears QB either.

Kelly shared a similar view in mid-June, citing Williams' struggles with deep-pass accuracy during his rookie season.

“Caleb Williams is one of the most inaccurate QBs we’ve seen. He completed 35.6% of his passes +10 air yards, ranking him 520th out of 530 QBs in the NFL since 2000,” the former NFL scout posted on X.

However, he improved dramatically in 2025, per a report by Da Windy City. Williams completed 330 of 568 in 3.20 seconds, prioritizing explosive, deep plays and using his legs to escape pressure within a complex new offense, rather than throwing quick, short passes.

As questions about his play continue, Williams has made it clear that he hears what people are saying about him.

Williams opens up about dealing with doubters

Amid preparations for the 2026 season under head coach Ben Johnson, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams received plenty of attention this offseason after being named the cover athlete for the newest Madden game. The choice drew praise from many fans.

But it also generated criticism from others. Williams admitted that he notices the comments from critics, including reporters and announcers. He was also honest about his thoughts on people who claimed to be immune to such criticism.

"You can't not see them, so all of the people that say that [seeing criticism] are liars," Williams said in the Pardon My Take podcast.

He admitted that he remembers some of those opinions and even jokes that he gives them a firmer handshake when he meets them.

Criticism has followed Williams since his college days at USC, but the Bears believe he has improved since his rookie season. After recording 3,541 yards with an 87.8 passer rating, he improved to 9,942 yards and a 90.1 passer rating.

If he can keep building on last year's progress, he could put himself in the MVP conversation in 2026.

Can Williams answer his critics with his highly impactful performance this season?  Let us know!

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Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit