Is It Beneficial for Caleb Williams to Spend His First Year on the Sidelines in the NFL?
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf sparked a debate on Wednesday among "First Things First" co-hosts Nick Wright and Chris Broussard regarding the potential for soon-to-be rookie QB Caleb Williams to sit out his first season in the league.
Leaf, appearing on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday, expressed his belief that Williams, the former USC QB and projected potential pick for the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft, might not be ready to start immediately. Leaf suggested that Williams could benefit from some time on the sidelines to develop his skills further.
"You've got to be of the understanding that you're going to sit him this year," Leaf asserted. "He can't do what he did in college 75% of the time and be successful at the NFL level. He can do the 25% part at the NFL level, but he needs some time."
Broussard weighed in with mixed feelings, acknowledging the potential benefits of rookie quarterbacks sitting out their first year to learn from experienced veterans. He cited examples like Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, who all had varying degrees of success after initially sitting out.
"I generally like when rookie quarterbacks sit the first year," Broussard stated. "I mean, it's not for everybody like C.J. Stroud didn't need to do it, but I do wish more teams would at least make that an option. Just because I drafted a guy, No. 1 or No. 2 doesn't mean I'm throwing him right in the stuff."
Wright offered a perspective that sitting out initially could benefit Williams by alleviating pressure and providing an opportunity to learn from Justin Fields and the Bears' coaching staff.
"I actually don't hate this idea for any of the parties," Wright commented. "If the latest reports are right � which is they maybe only be looking at getting a third round pick for Justin Fields � I don't hate the idea of the Bears drafting Caleb and saying, �hey, you're sitting in the beginning. Because this goes to somewhat of the pressure that we talked about the other day."
The first round of the NFL draft is scheduled for April 25.
| POLL | ||
7 MARS | 50 ANSWERS Is It Beneficial for Caleb Williams to Spend His First Year on the Sidelines in the NFL? Should Caleb sit out his first year? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 68 % |
| no | 16 | 32 % |
| List of polls | ||
