Despite hiccups, Caleb Williams on target, Bears say
The Bears reached a familiar point in training camp Wednesday where quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense look bad without the defense necessarily looking good.
Even against a defense missing five starters, Williams and the offense struggled — not even a splash play downfield to DJ Moore or Keenan Allen to create a buzz in 11-on-11 drills.
Truth be told, the offensive line was missing right guard Nate Davis and right tackle Darnell Wright — one reason why at one point it looked like defensive end Dominque Robinson was getting a tryout in the backfield instead of wide receiver Velus Jones.
It was a day for the reminder that it’s still early.
“We’re still in the installation phase right now,” quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said.
And it was a day to focus on something other than Williams igniting the explosive downfield passing game Bears fans are dreaming about.
“Today his operation in the run game was great,” Joseph said.
And offensive coordinator Shane Waldron saw big plays where others did not.
“I saw [running backs] D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Travis Homer — I can go through a group of those explosive plays,” Waldron said. “So I’m feeling good about those, knowing that some of those shots down the field — didn’t connect on some of those, but … those are things that really come to life as the offense grows in the games.”
For now, this is part of the process of a first-year coordinator with a rookie quarterback in the first three weeks of training camp — where every play is under a microscope, but big-picture progress is incremental and often imperceptible.
If what’s happening right now looks familiar, it’s because it is. But while similar explanations for unimpressive offensive play in previous Bears training camps with Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky (and Jay Cutler, for that matter) proved faulty, the presence of Williams as a quarterback prospect the Bears have never had before continues to be the beacon of hope that this episode will be different.
To the layman, Williams and the offense looked clunky, with nary a big play in 23 snaps in 11-on-11 drills, including another uninspiring two-minute drill. But to Waldron, it was a day of progress.
“When we watch him and watch him go through his reads and his progressions, I think going to where the ball should go is happening way more times than not,” Waldron said. “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 there. OK, got it. On to the next one.
“But he has been doing a good job reading with his feet, sticking within progressions, recognizing coverage structures. So seeing all those things is what really gives you the confidence moving forward.”
The Bears still have 11 more practices — that suddenly doesn’t sound like a lot — and three preseason games before Week 1 begins on Sept. 2, ahead of their regular-season opener against the Titans on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field. Williams might or might not get coach Matt Eberflus’ target of 45-55 snaps in the preseason.
But whether or not he does, the coaches are confident that Williams will be ready to roll in Week 1. He’s just that good.
“He makes two to three throws every day that’s better than most rookie quarterbacks you’ve been around,” said passing game coordinator Thomas Brown when asked what indicators he sees of Williams’ preparedness to hit the ground running. “[Understanding] how to operate the offense, play on time but also not take away from his athletic ability to move outside the pocket is gonna be a big thing.”
To Joseph, it’s a matter of time.
“He’s talented. He’s a great passer. He has the tools,” Joseph said. “It’s just fine-tuning him, grabbing all the nuances of the offense [and] of the game. And that’s just repetition. Just keep practicing and keep working every day.”
