NFL Legend Charles Tillman Talks Caleb Williams, Bears and More in B/R Interview

The Chicago Bears have been searching for a franchise quarterback since, well, forever.

And they may have finally found one.

Start the hype train now because Caleb Williams looked every bit the part of franchise quarterback in the making while going 20-of-29 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers. It was just the fifth start of the No. 1 overall pick’s career, and he was already directing the show at the line of scrimmage, escaping pressure with his legs and lofting perfectly placed deep balls downfield.

But the entire offense will need to operate efficiently around him if Chicago is going to live up to playoff expectations, and nobody knows that better than a Bears legend who helped lead the team to the Super Bowl as part of an impressive overall group during his own playing career.

“I like what he’s doing,” Charles Tillman told Bleacher Report when discussing Williams. “I think people put too much pressure on Caleb. Caleb’s not the entire offense. Caleb is a piece of the offense. And I think people don’t give credit to DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, Marcedes Lewis, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift. People don’t give them enough credit. They put too much pressure on Caleb to try to make plays, and that’s not fair. It’s a team sport, the goal is to get 11 guys doing one thing and not one guy doing 11 different things.

“Caleb’s a piece of the pie. Now, he’s a big piece of it, but he’s still a piece of a pie. What I saw last week when they played Carolina, they played extremely well. The most important thing they did was they had consistency. They played a not so good Carolina Panthers team. But at the same time, you’ve gotta start somewhere. Hopefully that gives them enough momentum.”

Momentum is exactly what Williams is building after a slow start.

While he threw for just 93 yards in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans and was sacked seven times in Week 2 against the Houston Texans, the rookie’s steady improvement is evident by his passer rating increasing from 55.7 and 51.0 in those first two games to 80.8 in Week 3, 106.6 in Week 4 and 126.2 in the blowout win over Carolina in Week 5.

That is exactly what the front office envisioned when it surrounded him with plenty of talent in Moore, Allen, Rome Odunze, Kmet and Swift, among others, and he is already making significant jumps with little experience.

It also helps having one of the league’s best defenses consistently getting Williams and Co. the ball back.

Chicago is fifth in the league in points allowed per game (17), sixth in passing yards allowed per game (174) and seventh in overall yards allowed per game (294.8). The defense has gone 11 straight games dating back to last season allowing 21 or fewer points and already set the tone this year with two defensive/special teams touchdowns in the Week 1 win over the Titans.

And that is music to Tillman’s ears considering he was a cornerback for teams that were defined by dominant defenses during his playing days.

“The defense is playing phenomenal,” he said. “And they’re playing like a team. The star of this defense is the defense. Jaylon Johnson, T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, they play well together. We’ve got a great secondary. Jaquan Brisker just comes downhill out of that defensive backfield. Jaquan is an old-school type player who plays downhill. Kyler Gordon is another one who is a really good nickel player who makes plays. Whether it’s interceptions or filling the gaps, he’s a quick, shifty guy. They’re playing well.”

As Tillman said, the defense has playmakers at every level with Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter Sr. leading the way for the defensive line, Edwards and Edmunds at linebacker, and a secondary with playmakers all over in Johnson, Brisker, Gordon, Kevin Byard III and Tyrique Stevenson.

But it comes as no surprise that Johnson stands out to Tillman given his cornerback pedigree.

“Jaylon Johnson has really stepped his game up in Chicago,” Tillman said. “I’m kind of glad he’s not wearing No. 33 anymore. He’s not living in my shadow, he’s No. 1 and he’s his own player and making that number famous. I really love what his game has evolved to and where he’s going right now.”

Tillman also highlighted Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos and Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins as cornerbacks he enjoys watching in today’s game while praising the former’s “footwork” and the latter’s willingness to take a physical approach and “not mind tackling.”

The two-time Pro Bowler will have the opportunity to watch Johnson overseas on Sunday when the Bears take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

As part of the lead up to the game, Tillman and former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew worked with USAA and traveled to the United States military base RAF Lakenheath in England to participate in meet and greets, tour the facilities and even help coach the military members in a football camp.

Military members competed in USAA’s Salute to Service NFL Boot Camp and participated in drills such as the 40-yard dash, three-cone shuffle and quarterback arm challenge all while Tillman and Jones-Drew coached them up.

“I love coming on base,” Tillman said. “I love doing these tours. I love teaming up with USAA. I love what they’re about. They’re about giving back.”

Participating in the event was an easy choice for the former Bears cornerback given his family connection.

“It resonated with me because my dad served in the Army,” he said. “From the time I was born to the time I graduated high school, I lived on military bases. Anytime I can team up with the military and USAA, it’s just cool. I know what those service members go through. I know what it’s like to be away.

“I know what it’s like to live on a base in another country. Giving back, which is signing a couple autographs and hanging out with them, is like the easiest thing to do. For me, it was fun. I really enjoy it. It’s nostalgic for me. It takes me back to that childhood.”

Nostalgia is exactly what NFL and Bears fans in particular likely feel when they see defensive backs in today’s game punch the ball out in the same way that made Tillman famous during his playing days.

Tillman forced 44 fumbles in his career, an astounding 10 of which came when he led the league in 2012. His famous Peanut Punch maneuver was part of a playmaking Bears defense that helped lead the team to the Super Bowl during the 2006 campaign and the NFC Championship Game during the 2010 season.

And it is often emulated in the modern-day game.

“I know when it happens because I’ll be doing something or be at one of my kids’ games and my phone just starts blowing up,” Tillman said. “It’s Peanut punch this, Peanut punch that. It’s pretty cool, and then I go straight to Instagram or Twitter and I see all these people tag me in the video. I really do appreciate the broadcasters giving me credit for it. That is very much appreciated.”

The 2003 second-round pick played 12 seasons in Chicago and one in Carolina and built a resume that included two Pro Bowl nods, a First-Team All-Pro selection and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

He also tallied 38 total interceptions and returned eight of them for touchdowns, further highlighting his playmaking ability.

But he knows it was his ability to force fumbles as a cornerback that stood out the most.

“There’s definitely an element of pride when I see the Peanut punch,” Tillman said. “It lets me know that I left my mark. I think it’s even cooler now that my kids are teenagers. They get to see it, and they think it’s pretty cool. I think it’s cool that my kids think it’s cool. That’s the beauty of it. And just to let you know that you’ve left your mark on a part of the game, that means something.

“That speaks to the player that I was when I did play. I was just trying to do something different and think outside the box. To be retired since 2016 and people still reference my name to the game? That’s no different than someone saying, ‘oh, you got Mossed!’ Randy Moss left his mark on the game of football. So I kind of left my small mark, too. I do feel good about that. It’s humbling.”

Tillman feeling humbled in retirement is certainly a full-circle moment, as he humbled plenty of receivers when he was starring in the NFL.