Five quarterbacks under heavy pressure in 2025

 

The pressure is on Caleb Williams to stand up and deliver for the Chicago Bears in 2025. The No. 1 pick a year ago, Williams put decent statistics together during his rookie season even as the Bears lost 10 consecutive games before picking up a victory in the season finale against the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears have made multiple moves to help him become successful this year. They started by hiring Ben Johnson as the team’s head coach. The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is among the most creative playcallers in the league. This means he should give Williams multiple plays that can be successful. The Bears also brought in a pair of top-rated offensive linemen in Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman who can protect him.

The Bears have a pair of wideouts in D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze who are supposed to be big-play makers. Moore has proven his ability throughout his career while Odunze flashed his talent as a rookie last season. Chicago also selected tight end Colston Loveland from Michigan in the first round of this year’s draft.

Williams is still young and he is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interception. He must become one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league this year or the Bears are likely to find themselves searching for a new quarterback once again.

Dak Prescott of the Cowboys returns after missing nine games last season following a brutal hamstring injury. He required surgery to repair the injury, and the soon-to-be 32-year-old needs to return to the form he demonstrated in 2023 when he had a sensational season.

Prescott completed 410 of 590 passes for 4,585 yards with 36 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 2023, and while it was good enough to lead the Cowboys to the NFC East title, they lost badly in a Wild Card game at home to the upstart Green Bay Packers.

Prescott must show he has no ill effects from last season’s injury and that he can lead the team to a winning season in this challenging division. If he can’t, it will likely be time for Jerry Jones to make a move at the quarterback position with this team.

Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He has demonstrated arm strength, consistency, accuracy and the ability to come through in the clutch. He may not have the defensive assets that will help him lead his team back to the Super Bowl, but the Bengals are his team.

Owner Mike Brown has shockingly spent considerable assets on wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, so the heat is on Burrow and his offensive mates to light up the scoreboard on an every-week basis and turn the Bengals into a powerhouse.

After a brilliant rookie season with the Houston Texans, C.J. Stroud faced significant difficulties in his second season.

Stroud was under duress as his offensive line rarely offered him the kind of protection needed to build off his fine rookie season. Stroud completed 336 of 532 passes last year for 3,727 yards, but his 20-12 TD-interception ratio was not good enough. He needs to add at least 10 more TD passes and cut back on his picks by at least five.

Finally, J.J. McCarthy is stepping into the fire in Minnesota. The Vikings are coming off a 14-3 season, and they appear to have addressed weaknesses on the interior offensive line and defensive line in the offseason. All they need is their young quarterback to play like a champion.

That is significant pressure. McCarthy led Michigan to the national championship in 2023 and now he is coming off a knee injury that wiped out his rookie season. He appears to have the skills needed to succeed at this level, but does that mean he can do it in his first year of competition? Few quarterbacks are successful under those circumstances.

He is working with a legitimate QB whisperer in Kevin O’Connell who can help him reach his potential, but he still has to do it himself and that will force him to overcome significant pressure right from the start.