Caleb Williams received his fair share of 'Welcome to the NFL' moments in the Bears loss on Sunday to the Texans.
In the second game of his career, Chicago's newest QB threw for 174 yards and was unable to score a touchdown in the 19-13 defeat to Houston. What's more, he threw his first career interception and was sacked seven times before it was all over. Though it's safe to say that the young phenom out of USC has been off to a rough start, one player is seemingly hoping for the best as the season progresses.
CJ Stroud gave Caleb Williams some advice
Texans QB CJ Stroud caught the rookie after their matchup and offered him some words of encouragement after his less than stellar performance.
"Hey, stop taking those hits," Stroud told Williams after the game. "Learn from those mistakes. Everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You're going to be a hell of a player in this league."
Stroud, who's in his second season in the NFL, has already established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He finished his 2023 rookie campaign with 4,557 total passing yards, the second-most in NFL history by a rookie, while boasting the lowest interception rate in the league. His performance earned him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. All-in-all there are some worse people that Williams could receive advice from.
Williams is feeling the beatdown he took
It was too little too late though, as Williams was unable to overcome Houston's harrowing defensive front. In addition to the seven sacks, he was hit 11 times during Sunday's game. But after taking his beating the rookie seems more eager than ever to get out on the field and prove himself.
"I'm a little bruised up," Williams told reporters. "I took a couple hits today. I'm going to get in ice tubs and do all the things I need to do to make sure my body is ready for tomorrow and practice other the other days and obviously next game."