Chicago Bears fans got a little something to chew on from ESPN’s latest quarterback rankings, and it cuts both ways. Caleb Williams landed 10th in a list voted on by front office executives, scouts, and coaches, which gives the result more heft than a typical media poll. At the same time, Jordan Love didn’t make the top 10 at all, a detail Bears fans will absolutely notice.
Williams sitting behind Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert will frustrate plenty of Chicago supporters. Those are the kinds of names that invite debate, especially when the Bears quarterback brings a more electric skill set to the table. But the top of the rankings also makes clear that career production and accomplishments still carry major weight, which helps explain why Williams ended up in the final spot.
There’s also a bigger piece of good news for Chicago in the way the list treats Love. After Williams beat Love in the playoffs and again in the final regular-season matchup, Bears fans have had plenty to enjoy in the rivalry since last season. Seeing Love fall out of the top 10 only adds to that satisfaction.
None of that means Williams should be boxed in as the league’s 10th-best starter. On his best days, he looks capable of being part of the top-three conversation at the position.
The other side of the argument is just as real, though. A lot of the late-game flair that made Williams famous came after early-game stretches where he and the offense left room for comeback drama instead of putting games away. That helps explain why he isn’t ranked higher and points to a young quarterback who still has plenty of room to grow.
For Chicago, the biggest takeaway is that respected league voices already view Williams as having passed Love. That matters, especially when Love had three seasons to learn behind Aaron Rodgers and more time in the league overall. Bears fans will enjoy the reaction from Green Bay, but the real win here is simple: Williams got credit, Love got left out, and the Bears quarterback still has a clear path to climb.
In Other News...
Bears Just Got A Budget Pass Rush Answer Fans Will Recognize
With the Bears still sorting through a pass rush that came up short a season ago, the front office has been leaning on what it already has in Montez Sweat, Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo rather than chasing the top of the market. Financial reality has been part of the equation, which helped keep Chicago out of the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes and has pushed the conversation toward cheaper, more manageable ways to add help off the edge.
One name that has surfaced in that kind of discussion is Kansas City defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a young player on a rookie deal who has flashed enough athletic traits to draw interest even if the production has not fully followed yet. The appeal is obvious for a Bears team looking for a budget-minded swing, but any move in that lane would still have to make sense on both the cap sheet and the depth chart before it becomes more than just another idea floating around. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Keep Facing The Same Pass Rush Question In July
The Bears are still looking at ways to steady a pass rush that can never really be ignored, and one familiar veteran keeps coming up as a possible answer. The 33-year-old edge rusher most recently spent time with the Cowboys, and he remains unsigned in mid-July after a string of short-term deals since leaving Houston in 2020. For Chicago, the appeal is pretty straightforward: a proven body on the edge, some experience to lean on, and another option if the front office wants to keep adding insurance before camp.
Spotrac has pegged his market value around $5.7 million, a reminder that even a late-summer addition would not come cheap for a player who was on a $3.4 million deal not long ago. The bigger question for the Bears is whether they want him as more than just a depth piece, because the fit is less about splash and more about how much help they still believe this defense needs before the real work of the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Have More Than One 2026 Breakout Fans Need To Watch
The Bears conversation about 2026 breakouts does not stop with Luther Burden III, because there are a few other young players who already flashed enough to make the next step feel realistic. Jahdae Walker, DMarco Jackson, Austin Booker and Josh Blackwell all showed enough in different stretches of last season to land on the radar, and each one sits in a spot where opportunity could matter as much as talent once the new year arrives.
Walkers late-season work gave the offense a glimpse of what he can do when the ball finds him, while Jackson made his presence felt on defense and Bookers return from injury brought real edge-rushing juice back into the picture. Blackwell is a little different, since his path depends on how the secondary sorts itself out, but he is the kind of depth piece who can move from useful to important quickly if the Bears need him. [Read more 🡒]