The 2026 NFL season is officially underway, and the Chicago Bears are set to kickoff their season opener on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the Carolina Panthers. This is a game the Bears ought to win, despite facing a few issues on defense. But before we get to the opener, let's take a look around the league to see where Caleb Williams lands among quarterback rankings.Since these are all Week 1 rankings, these lists are built mostly on vibes and how each quarterback ended last season. That said, the range of Williams' placement is narrow and varies slightly depending on the source. Analysts seem to be divided into one of two camps: either Caleb Williams is already a superstar or he's on the cusp of becoming one. Either way, many expect Williams to be the best QB in the NFC North.Here is a roundup of various quarterback rankings, starting with Williams' best ranking and working our way to his lowest, with a more detailed analysis in each link.Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams calls a play against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectSporting News: 6thVinnie Iyer is buying up as much stock in the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams pairing as possible, ranking Williams as the 6th best quarterback for 2026. Iyer insists that Williams has already proven that he's not the bust many feared he was following a rocky rookie season, writing, "Now it's a matter of how high of a ceiling he can reach."NFL.com: 9thNick Shook is ready to see Williams take the Bears to new heights in his Week 1 NFL QB rankings, placing the third-year quarterback at No. 9. "He landed on the NFL Madden cover for a reason, folks," Shook writes, referring to Williams' gracing of the Madden 27 cover, "and will be central to Chicago's goal of defending its NFC North title."FOX Sports: 10thConsider Henry McKenna to be in agreement with ESPN's Top 10 quarterback rankings from earlier in the summer. In their polling of NFL coaches, scouts, and executives, ESPN placed Williams at No. 10, which is exactly where McKenna ranks him in his Week 1 projection for the 2026 season. Like many analysts, McKenna sees Johnson as the driving force behind Williams' development, writing, "It’s hard to bet against Williams’ talent when he's under the guidance of Ben Johnson."CBS Sports: 13thWriting for CBS Sports, Garrett Podell has Williams ranked outside the Top 10, coming in at No. 13 in Podell's Week 1 QB power rankings. It's not a terrible ranking by any means, but his analysis of Williams' game isn't quite right. "One moment, he can produce a magical, highlight-reel touchdown," Podell writes. "The next, he's throwing a mind-numbing interception or incompletion."Yes, Williams had one of the lowest completion percentages in the league last year. It needs to get better, and both Williams and Johnson spent the offseason working on that. But Podell's framing of Williams as a slightly more explosive Jameis Winston just isn't correct. Williams set an NFL record for the fewest number of interceptions thrown in a quarterback's first 1,000 pass attempts, and his total still stands at just 13 interceptions.Even the interceptions Williams does throw are rarely "mind-numbing". Last year, these were often categorized as 'arm punts' on fourth down or breakdowns in communication. I could count on one hand, literally, the number of picks Williams threw last year that made me shake my head.Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears NewsletterAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow