Coaches are always predisposed to protect their players from outside distractions, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear the Chicago Bears not say anything to hint there are problems with Caleb Williams. However, Matt Eberflus and his staff have never been known for embellishing performances, either. When guys are struggling, they say improvements are needed. That hasn’t been the case with Williams. Eberflus has insisted the young quarterback has made a ton of progress from where he was in May and June, learning at a rapid pace.
If that is too vague for some people, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was gracious enough to provide details. It may not be easy to notice from the sideline or the stands, but Williams’ most encouraging leaps have come from his ability to operate from the pocket.
“When we watch him and watch him go through his reads and his progressions right there, going to where the ball should go is happening way more times than not. And some of the things that haven’t worked out have been from just a near miss here or an angle that wasn’t feeling it the right way there. OK, got it. On to the next one. But he has been doing a good job reading with his feet, sticking within progression, recognizing coverage structures. So seeing all those things is what really gives you the confidence moving forward.”
From his time in Seattle, he’s shown an ability to coach those things up—ask Geno Smith. However, he wasn’t alone. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown said Williams is doing some things in every practice that you never expect to see from a first-year guy.
“He makes two to three throws every day that are better than most rookie quarterbacks you’ve been around. Being able to understand how to operate the offense, play on time, but also not take away from his athletic ability to move outside the pocket is going to be a big thing. He has done a really good job so far.”
Problems have cropped up on the offensive line over the past week. Right guard Nate Davis has missed most of training camp with an unknown injury, and right tackle Darnell Wright hasn’t been able to stay on the field over the past week. They also still haven’t chosen a center. This fluidity has led to shaky protection, which isn’t helping the execution in the passing game. Despite this, Williams has managed to still execute reasonably well and avoid too many mistakes. Again, for a rookie, that is no small feat. Don’t forget he practices against the Bears’ starting defense every day.
The offense’s clunky nature is no surprise to the coaching staff. Learning the system and executing it at a high level were always tall orders. What they wanted to see from Caleb Williams was incremental progress. He’s given them that and more. Consistency will come with experience. Joe Burrow didn’t get off to a rousing start in his rookie year. It took him a month to start putting things together. The key with Williams is patience. Let the process play out.
