Bear Digest

Caleb Williams Flashes Brilliance at Close of Minicamp

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has had problems with some basics but other times looks like the brilliant player he was at Oklahoma and USC.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams gets ready to start practice throws after stretching during minicamp at Halas Hall.
Caleb Williams gets ready to start practice throws after stretching during minicamp at Halas Hall. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Early in OTAs, Bears linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds were watching rookie quarterback Caleb Williams across the line on a play and noting his eyes.

The eyes never lie, or shouldn't, and they looked one direction. Edwards and Edmunds moved that way. Then the play went back the other way, making the defense look bad.

"You definitely see some things that you don't really expect from a rookie to do," Edwards said. "You know, he moved us a couple times with his eyes. The first day it had me and Tremaine hot about it, but he's impressive for sure.

"He's just like everybody. He's going to continue to get better and he's going to handle it well for sure."

Williams' initial exposure to facing NFL defenses came and went with the end of Thursday's three-day mandatory minicamp and he emerged with some small wins, like when he looked off Edwards and Edmunds, or when he started making anticipatory throws Thursday in the red zone drill for touchdowns.

By and large, the minicamp was tough sledding for the first pick of the draft throughout as he tried to figure out the offense, the defense and those confounded cadences the Bears use snapping the ball so that he wasn't causing false starts.

"The challenge right now for me I would say would be, one would be the cadence and putting it all together because there's a fine line for it," Williams said. "Then the other part is just getting reps, whether it's me being in the huddle, things like that, the verbiage that we use. It's all new to me."

The cadence, in particular, proved an issue, However, there seemed less disruption as the three-day minicamp progressed.

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Williams is in a new offense for the first time since his freshman year of college, so these initial obstacles are to be expected, including the most basic things like calling out signals.

"Obviously in college a lot of teams are clap cadence, so it's been four years since I've been verbal," Williams said. "So it's just getting back to the verbal cadence is really what it is.”

Williams threw a few TD passes to Rome Odunze, one to DJ Moore and one to Keenan Allen during a strong series of red zone sets on Thursday, many of the throws going to open space in the defense just before the receiver showed up to make the catch.

"I'd say I feel that I've gotten better at the cadence," Williams said. "I feel that progression-wise going through all the reads, throwing a little better with anticipation, getting more reps with the wide receivers, that obviously helps.

"So with all the reps that we've been able to get and obtain, it’s been huge. So just like today I feel like progression-wise, being able to throw a little bit more anticipation was a little small step for me."

Williams was quick to point out how support from teammates has made his early development seem successful.

"Even through text messages, calls, even on the practice field, them just believing, seeing the vision that we all have and being graceful with me knowing, that I'm pretty tough on myself but they see right through it and understand that," Williams said. "It's been big for me, like I said, having these guys around me and them being graceful - texting me, reaching out, calling me, from the practice field coming over congratulating me when things go good and when things don't go our way or whatever the case may be, coming over and saying whatever they have to say and being encouraging."

Coach Matt Eberflus also noted the improvement in red zone anticipation on an extremely windy day at Halas Hall, described by the Bears coach as a "two-club wind." However, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be as easy for Williams at training camp.

"So right now, we're kind of rushing and then stopping and not doing that," Eberflus said. "It's not the real feel yet but it will be."

The developmental progress will continue for Williams next week with "quarterback school" -- a collection of rookies will be at Halas Hall for some work in a glorified rookie minicamp over three days. Then there will be a break until training camp.

Williams said he's working to hasten his development.

"First, I ask questions," Williams said. "I ask questions to coach. I ask about my progression, I ask where he wants me to be, where I should be, and then obviously I have my own goal set for myself and that's to be perfect.

"Obviously you strive for something like that and you don't ever reach it, but you keep striving for it."

It's only just begun, but Williams, Eberflus and the team appear encouraged over where it looks at the outset.

When the veterans are all back for training camp, Williams will be facing Edwards, Edwards and the first-team defense regularly. There will be fewer situations with second-team defense against Williams.

"Again, we could do things differently where I say, 'Hey, we're going to have the ones go against the twos and the twos go against the ones,' " Eberflus said. "But I don't like that. I don't like it.

"I think that Caleb is a talent. A very good talent. His game will go to where it needs to be. I want him to see that in front of him, the windows closing, the variation of what we do on defense, and I want him to see that day-in and day-out so that when he gets to play somebody else it will look, 'OK, I've been there done that.' That's how we're going to keep it."

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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.