The Chicago Bears made a mission this offseason to protect Caleb Williams, leading to the signings of Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman. However, one former NFL player believes that Williams still bears responsibility when it comes to protection.
Last season, the USC product was sacked 68 times in 17 games, so if Chicago wants the player to live up to his potential, they needed to do more to protect him.
Williams escaped the 2024 season with no serious injuries, but the Bears cannot afford to have another season because these high sack totals could lead to a long-term setback that affects the player’s career.
Can Caleb Williams limit sack total?
While the Bears added new faces to the offensive line, former NFL lineman Mark Schlereth believes that it shouldn’t all be on one unit to decrease the sack total from last season as the quarterback also shares responsibilties.
“One of the things that I think is really interesting is that I think that most people look at sacks given up by an offense as an offensive line problem,” Schlereth said during an appearance on 670 The Score. “And I look at it more as a play-caller and quarterback problem. I think most sacks are attributed to play-callers and quarterbacks, more so than offensive linemen in today’s league.”
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Moreover, Schlereth is calling out Williams to do his part to limit the sacks this season because it all cannot be on the offensive line.
“Most of the sacks come from, like Caleb Williams taking 68 last year, when all of a sudden you’re slow through your progression, and you pull the ball and you try to escape out the back of the pocket,” Schlereth added. “Then a defensive end that runs 4.4 runs you down. Those are the problems with offense in today’s game, and we’ll see if Ben Johnson can clear that stuff.”
