The Chicago Bears offense hasn’t yet been able to find a groove in training camp. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Caleb Williams is a rookie quarterback. Shane Waldron is installing a brand-new system. Pitting that against a star-laden defense in its third year of the same scheme is a bad matchup. As a result, the latest padded practice on Tuesday didn’t get off to the best start. Williams was under a lot of pressure as the defense blitzed him constantly. Throws were a little off-target on several reps, including one that Jaquan Brisker intercepted.
However, the quarterback wasn’t about to let that slide. Moving into the second half of practice, the units shifted to a two-minute drill. Once again, Williams caught the defense by surprise. It started with a quick pass to Keenan Allen to build some momentum. On the next play, he found D’Andre Swift on a screen for 20+ yards. Then, before the defense could gather themselves, Williams drove the nail in the coffin with a terrific 22-yard dime to Rome Odunze in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
The rookie duo wasn’t done, though. A few minutes later, Williams hit Odunze again in goal-line drills for another touchdown. Even dating back to last week, it is becoming apparent that the defense is having a hard time containing the Bears’ newest draft picks.
Remember, this isn’t a string of second- and third-string defenders against which they’re doing this. Head coach Matt Eberflus has pitted them against the starting defense from the moment training camp began. He wants them to get the full experience of what playing against the best looks like on Sundays. While it has led to some mistakes, it’s becoming evident the two are adjusting quickly. Not only that, but their chemistry is developing far faster than anybody predicted. For all the talk about D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, it’s Odunze who seems to have Williams’ trust the most.
This is a reminder of why Poles wanted Odunze in the first place. He recognized what the wide receiver could do for a young quarterback. The prospect of him and Caleb Williams growing together was so tantalizing. We’re already starting to see why. If they’re torching the Bears defense this early in camp, there is no telling how much worse it will be for actual opponents in the fall. Don’t forget Odunze should see tons of single coverage because of Moore and Allen. That is terrifying.
