Chicago Bears fans were dying to see Caleb Williams throw passes for the first time in an actual game. Sure, the preseason is an exhibition, but it’s still as close to real football as it gets this time of year. They wanted to see him operate in the new offense. They’ve heard the hype for months. No more waiting. Well, the drawing of the curtain couldn’t have gone much better for the #1 overall pick. He got two drives of work, both ending in points. He completed four passes for 95 yards and had a run for 13 to get a first down.
What stood out the most was the array of throws Williams was making. They were all different types. We’ll start with his first completion. It’s 3rd and 12. He hangs in the pocket, goes through his reads, and fires a well-placed ball to D.J. Moore for a 1st down.
On the very next play, the Bears called a screen. Buffalo calls a blitz off the edge. This forces Williams to step up while the Bills defensive line is let through to set the play up. In tight confines, the QB is able to contort his body and splurt the ball into the hands of D’Andre Swift for 42 yards.
Yet his best moment was somehow still to come. The second drive got off to a tough start. Chicago was pinned at their 3-yard line. Williams almost threw an interception, but an illegal contact negated the play. He then hit Moore for 15 yards and Khalil Herbert followed that with 14 on the ground. This set up easily the best pass of the afternoon. Chicago ran a play action bootleg to Williams’ right. After pump-faking the defensive end, he fired an absolute rocket to Cole Kmet down the right sideline for 26 yards. Be sure to have some popcorn on hand when you watch the reverse angle.
That is the perfect example of what made Caleb Williams famous in college. His ability to make throws on the run is right up there with Patrick Mahomes in terms of quality. It doesn’t matter where the target is. If he has a line of sight, he’s going to hit it. Yet the most exciting part was how comfortable he looked in the pocket. There was no panic. His footwork was smooth; he climbed the pocket and went through his reads. It is evident he has spent a ton of time working on those fundamentals. The results are already impressive.
