The Chicago Bears ventured into the great unknown this off-season when they traded Justin Fields. It is never easy to embrace change, but GM Ryan Poles understood one inescapable fact. Until the team upgraded at quarterback, they were never going to have a chance of winning a Super Bowl. So, he utilized the advantage of holding the #1 overall pick to select Caleb Williams from USC. Draft experts loved him. Scouts and personnel evaluators loved him. There weren’t many things about his game you could criticize aside from his tendency to play too much hero ball.
Chicago knew the objective. It was to help him tone down those improvisational tendencies while embracing the role of playing distributor from the pocket. Don’t be afraid to take what the defense gives him. Don’t bring out the Superman cape until necessary. Williams made sure to go into the spring with an open mind, listening to coaches and veterans. It appears their advice has stuck. Since returning for training camp, the quarterback has looked far more polished than people realize. Adam Hoge of CHGO confirmed this.
From that regard, I’ve been impressed through two practices. Eberflus, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and running back D’Andre Swift have all come out and said rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has improved since the spring.
“Caleb did a great job ending OTAs and then showing up back here at training camp a step ahead of where he left,” Waldron said Sunday. “Shows that he did a great job during his time away from the building, owning the offense, understanding different calls and (coming) out here these first two practices operating at a much higher level than what we left it.”
My eyes back up what’s been said in the press conference room. It’s been a smooth operation of the offense through two days, with only a couple hiccups, including one false start on Sunday. But no practice is going to be perfect and the mistakes have been extremely limited, which is especially notable considering Williams worked with two different centers the last two days.
Head coach Matt Eberflus has thrown him into the gauntlet from the beginning. Every practice has seen the rookie go against the starting defense in every drill. This is not your typical approach. Often, coaches will have QBs play against the #2 defense to help streamline execution. Eberflus doesn’t think that would be helpful. Williams has to understand the caliber of defenses he will see every Sunday in the NFL. The only way that happens is if he practices against it every day. It appears this logic is working as the young QB is progressing rapidly.
The plan ahead is clear. Caleb Williams will keep these practice habits through next month. He will get a chance to work against the Cincinnati Bengals in a joint session before playing 45-65 snaps in the preseason. Chicago is doing everything they can within reason to sharpen his mental faculties for the long season ahead. Williams doesn’t seem bothered by the challenges. If anything, he embraces them. A natural-born competitor like him prefers being pushed. It will be interesting to see how things evolve.
