Bengals coach Zac Taylor excited to watch Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams develop

LAKE FOREST – Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor believes Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is set up for success. That’s music to Bears fans’ ears considering Taylor’s history of developing quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall.

Taylor made the comments to reporters after the two teams’ joint practice on Thursday afternoon at Halas Hall where Williams continued to show off his growth with some impressive throws in the pouring rain.

“They’ve done a really good job with who they’ve hired, they’ve got a really good defense, a ton of talent on offense, they’ve got a quarterback who’s as good as you can get in the draft,” Taylor said. “It’ll be exciting to see how it all comes along. They’ll do it at their own pace. It’ll be fun to watch.”

Taylor himself has recent experience helping develop Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow after the team drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Burrow had a strong start to his rookie season in 10 games before tearing both his ACL and MCL, ending his rookie season.

Burrow came back to become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship in 2022. He signed a five-year, $275 million contract in September 2023.

Taylor emphasized the importance of learning from every experience when it comes to developing a quarterback. He pointed out how Burrow learned from Bears head coach Matt Eberflus when he was defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.

With the Bengals facing fourth down on the Colts 35-yard line trailing 31-28 with 39 seconds left in the game, Eberflus called a blitz with a scheme Burrow hadn’t seen early in his NFL career. Burrow threw an interception up the middle and the Bengals lost the game.

“He stored that away and said, ‘alright, if I get that again I know what I’m going to get to,” Taylor said. “There are just moments like that that are going to happen that you store them away, you learn from them. He’s going to have a long career, so you’ve got plenty to store away from. I know [Bears offensive coordinator] Shane Waldron is a great teacher, he’s got great experience around a lot of great quarterbacks and he’ll do a great job putting him in the greatest position.”

Burrow was also confident in Williams’ development after building a relationship with Williams since Burrow hosted him on a visit at LSU. The two threw together the day after the Bears selected him with the No. 1 overall pick.

“They’ve done a really good job with who they’ve hired, they’ve got a really good defense, a ton of talent on offense, they’ve got a quarterback who’s as good as you can get in the draft. It’ll be exciting to see how it all comes along, they’ll do it at their own pace. It’ll be fun to watch.”

—  Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals head coach

While the process for developing in the NFL is different for each player, Burrow didn’t doubt who Williams could become after watching him throughout the years.

“He’s a great guy, he’s going to be a really good player,” Burrow said. “I’m excited to watch him.”

Burrow will get a chance to watch Williams play Saturday at Soldier Field after Eberflus announced that the starters will play. The Bengals will rest their starters after participating in Thursday’s joint practice.

Taylor didn’t think he would change anything about how he handled Burrow’s development when asked Thursday. He said the Bengals and Burrow needed to evolve and learn throughout the process with the good and the bad.

That’ll be an important reminder for the Bears as they continue Williams’ development throughout the remainder of training camp and Williams’ rookie season.

“He’s very talented, he’s got great people around him that are going to continue to develop,” Taylor said. “Just one rep at a time. You never want to overact in training camp … because it’s the first time you’re doing with their guys, against an NFL defense. I’m excited to watch him grow a bit.”