Bear Digest

Bears Hope First Impressions of Caleb Williams Are Lasting

Veteran Bears defenders came away from offseason work against the rookie quarterback with observations indicating he can finally be their solution on offense.

Gene Chamberlain

The impressions Caleb Williams left on veteran defensive players at offseason work might have been the most telling.
The impressions Caleb Williams left on veteran defensive players at offseason work might have been the most telling. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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All assessments of Caleb Williams' play so far describe a quarterback in his infancy.

They also depict a passer not facing a rush, not wearing pads, not implementing a game plan and not facing a defense that is implementing a game plan against him. There is no threat of being tackled.

Other than that, offseason work has been very telling.

It really has been somewhat revealing because new teammates have provided their observations. They've been fairly honest and complemented what the practices without pads, game plans and hitting have shown.

Of course they're not going to be overly critical or say something like "We should have kept Justin Fields." This wouldn't make sense because Williams just started and is learning. He's their teammate and no one is passing judgment on a teammate, especially a rookie after a few practices.

Still, they offered up thoughts on different aspects of his play that stood out.

The Arm Stands Out

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson seemd to resist attempts to gain his insight as one who faced Williams in practice but eventually gave some thoughts.

His most striking observation of Johnson?

"I would say touch," Johnson said.

Johnson admitted he had seen this first in watching some of Williams' college games but it became very apparent when he tried defending someone against Williams' passes.

"But I think heโ€”not even thinkโ€”I know he has a special arm when it just comes to touch, ball position," Johnson said. "Especially the first day, I think it was OTAS, he spinned some seam passes that were pretty.

"I was like, 'OK, he was putting it right over the defenders' heads.' He's got a good sense of touch, a good sense of ball placement. I feel like. That stood out the most."

The arm stood out to cornerback Kyler Gordon, as well, but there was more.

"I like him a lot," Gordon said. "I think his arm talent shows immediately.

"He's very poised. He's just learning every single day, chipping away and slowly getting better, and weโ€™re all surrounding him. He's young and stuff like that, but he holds himself nice. I'm excited to see him play."

No Fear

The arm talent showed because Williams didn't fear showing it. Sometimes new quarterbacks can be a bit sheepish about throwing it deep, but not Williams, Gordon said.

"He's definitely taken chances and thrown it," Gordon said. "You can see it. He likes to throw it deep.

ย โ€œHe should. Get the feeling, know what you can and can't do. He's talented, so he's gonna figure this stuff out. It's just all about getting better and trying to get that experience, the same way when I was young and with any rookie growing up. You're gonna try things and feel it and get the experience and kinda know."

Safety Jaquan Brisker reluctantly said he focused more on improving himself when asked about Williams, but then also produced some observations.

"You can tell that he has something in his notebook every single day," Brisker said. "He's really focused and locked in on his tools and his technique. He doesn't let the outside noise affect him, which is good. He comes in every day and works very hard.

"You can tell he's going through his progressions and things like that. He's going through the right reads. Every single day it's going quicker so he's catching up."

Getting through progressions is not something normally associated with rookies early, as they're still trying to get the playbook. In Williams' case, it's been getting the cadences right so offensive players aren't committing false starts.

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Things like this happen with all rookies. Fields finished his spring practices with a problem repeating plays. Coaches left him messages with plays and he then had to repeat the play as a voice message to show them during the break before training camp that he was getting how to listen and repeat the exact calls.

No Backing Down

Williams was picked off by Tremaine Edmunds on the second day and the next day went right back at the defense with a deep ball for a touchdown to Velus Jones Jr.

"He's competitive," Edmunds said. "As a rookie he's doing some things that are good to see. I think that's the thing that gets me most excited and I think gets our team most excited.

"Failure is nothing. If you look at it as an opportunity to go out there and get better. It's nothing. It's not about whether the defense does better or the offense does better, we're out there to compete."

There will likely be more issues for Williams in practice when the defense is using its best disguises in coverages. They've been basic in offseason work.

"That's what we are going to do with every quarterback and we are going to make it tough," Gordon said. "They are not going to know what we are going to do or what look we are in."

It wasn't just the arm or Williams' competitiveness they saw. Linebacker T.J. Edwards and Edmunds got upset when they were looked off of their coverage by Williams' eyes once. A rookie did this to them.

Some of the early practices the media saw were slanted heavily in the defense's favor, but only half the offseaosn practices are viewed. The other half are closed.

During one closed to the media, Williams made an immediate impression.

"I ain't gonna lie," safety Kevin Byard said. "The first day, the offense kind of got after us a little bit. He was making some really good throws.

"We were in the bubble. He was making some good throws and, I mean, some deep passes, he had a really good day and then (another day) we kind of got after him. So it's one of those things. Sometimes it's going to be back and forth and that's how the season is going to be, week to week."

True to Himself

The process has just begun. They'll have a three-day session for rookies this week and some veterans lower on the depth chart so Williams will at least get more throws in, but not against a top defense.

The veterans have seen Williams for the last time until training camp and the first impressions are positive, especially Williams' leadership and personna. Veterans will sniff out a phony right away.

"I just think, like, from Day 1 I felt like he's been himself," Edwards said. "And before every 7-on(-7) period we're over there talking crap to him, like kind of seeing how the period is going to go and stuff like that and he's responded, man.

"That's kind of all what you want. You want someone who's confident and someone who plays within themself and someone who acts within themself. And that's what he is for sure."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.