Bears' Caleb Williams gets concerning comparison to Browns draft bust

It's Year 2 of Caleb Williams with the Chicago Bears, but could the USC product be heading toward becoming the latest draft bust? FS1's Jason McIntyre made a comparison that Williams is heading toward the same path as former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Videos have surfaced showing Williams struggling to make accurate passes during Bears training camp. While some might just write it off as practice jitters, McIntyre isn't so sure. He pointed out some worrying stats that remind many of Manziel's time in Cleveland.

"The Bears are treating Caleb Williams like a rookie, so he has to unlearn everything he learned last year," McIntyre said on Friday's edition of "The Herd." "Obviously, some of the videos aren't great. The net-missing video isn't ideal, but I have a comparison that's scary — though not off base, I think. Some pocket passing stats from Caleb Williams: 24th in passer rating, 29th in yards per attempt in the pocket, and 25th in completion percentage in the pocket. That's out of 34 quarterbacks, guys.

"That's why my comparison is a little bit Johnny Football, some Johnny Manziel. I just wonder if Caleb is so on edge in the pocket that his confidence is shot, and his default is, 'Let me just tuck and run and see if I can make a play.' Because that's what happened to Manziel, and he flamed out very quickly."

Is Caleb Williams the next Johnny Football? 😬 @jasonrmcintyre pic.twitter.com/UepRfhz9T7

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 8, 2025

A Manziel comparison isn't what Bears fans want to hear because, as McIntyre mentioned, the former Texas A&M star fizzled out quickly in the NFL. After two years in Cleveland, he was out of the league as no other franchise took a shot on him after his tenure with the Browns was over, which is surprising considering he was a first-round pick.

Nonetheless, Williams might not be out of the league after Year 2, but it will be interesting to see how the 23-year-old plays this season under new head coach Ben Johnson, who had a significant impact on Jared Goff.