Caleb Williams, former OU football quarterback, downplays Patrick Mahomes comparisons

Throughout the Chicago Bears training camp, we have seen some impressive play from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who's been living up to the draft hype so far.

On Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams connected with fellow first-round rookie Rome Odunze for an impressive 45-yard completion that provided a glimpse of the future. After they nearly connected on a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone, Williams scored his first touchdown as a Bear -- a seven-yard scramble.

For the second straight week, the Caleb Williams hype train was chugging along after he made several wow plays that few in the league can make. Even Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill took notice, stopping short of comparing him to former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes.

Williams was asked about the comparison after Saturday's game, and his response was perfect.

"It's cool. It's great," he said. "I always say it's respect. But we weren't our best today. We started out slow. We can't do that in the National Football League. You can't come out here and start slow, myself included. We're going to get a lot better. We're going to keep growing. We're going to have a lot of fun doing it, winning these games, going out there versus these other teams, playing as one.

"We're excited. To your question, it's respect. It's cool and all, but I'm Caleb Williams. Patrick Mahomes is Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill is Tyreek Hill. Much love to them and things like that. I met them, talked to them both, things like that, but we're here to win games for the Chicago Bears."

It is easy for some folks to overhype things too early, and keeping expectations fair will be key heading into Williams' 2024 season. Although, Williams himself already has a good head on his shoulders and is focused on winning games for the Bears. The early flashes are promising, but he had plenty of work to do to get to that level of greatness.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ex-OU football QB Caleb Williams downplays Patrick Mahomes comparisons