Bear Digest

Caleb Williams Makes Up for Missing Receiver in First Practice

Tracking the Bears at Camp: With wide receiver Rome Odunze missing his first training camp practice with the Bears, Caleb Williams became a receiver of sorts.

Gene Chamberlain

Besides passing the ball at his first Bears training camp practice, quarterback Caleb Williams also was catching it.
Besides passing the ball at his first Bears training camp practice, quarterback Caleb Williams also was catching it. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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In Caleb Williams first Bears training camp practice, his most impressive play might have been a pass he caught rather than one he threw.

Williams snared a ball deflected at the line by defensive lineman Gervon Dexter and scampered out of bounds for a gain on the second play of two-minute drill.

However, it was the last pass he completed on the drill as the defense forced three straight incompletions and stopped the Bears first-team offense.

"That's pretty cool, right?" coach Matt Eberflus said. "You know, (what) he told me the other day, I said, man, you've got a body. His body looks like a big safety, right? Almost.

"He goes, 'Well I played running back.' And he says, 'I also played linebacker.'

"I said, 'You must be a tough guy.' But he is. He's a tough guy. And he's got good quickness. You saw that right there. He's got good quickness, obviously a good athlete."

Williams did complete a nicely fitted sidearm pass over the middle in a crowd to Keenan Allen to start the two-minute drill with a first down.

"I'm just trying to get into a spot where I can see him, and if I can see the arm angle, see the ball come out, then I'm fine," Allen said. "I don’t really care how it gets there."

It's the passes Williams throws to someone else sidearmed or overhand which should be the focus, though, and not deflections

Williams really had little chance to do much throwing downfield in this practice, which was largely individual work without helmets on, then some half-speed scrimmaging closely resembling the installation periods during walk-throughs when they put in their offense.

He wasn't very successful finding targets downfield when he did throw farther.

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Williams did get one other chance to lead the offense in a scrimmage and found tight ends Tommy Sweeney and Cole Kmet on short passes and threw a screen that worked to running back D'Andre Swift.

That it was Allen who William threw to first on the two-minute drill should come as no surprise. The two were involved in a pair of throwing sessions together in L.A. during the offseason and have grown closer off the field.

Allen sees it as critical to get inside his quarterback's head in order to advance their passing connection.

"Just try to make it easy for him, make sure we're seeing things eye to eye and get to the spots that he likes, whatever spots that he can see versus what I'm seeing," Allen said. "And then just being on the same page."

As for other aspects of the offense, Williams had no problems. He didn't suffer cadence problems like during OTAs.

"Like I said, today was real solid," Allen said. "He called the plays way better than he was at OTAs. He felt confident in the plays and knowing what he was doing.

"There was no timidness from him today."

The Missing Men

That it was Allen thrown to by Williams was also not surprising because two of his other potential targets missed practice. Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze was away from his first training camp practice for personal reasons but is expected back for Sunday's practice.

Tight end Gerald Everett is on the non-football injury list with an undisclosed injury labeled less serious by Eberflus.

"It was from training and we'll see where it goes," Eberflus said. "It's day to day and we'll see where it goes. It was nothing major. And so that's where it is."

The Bears had a few limited players at practice. Left tackle Braxton Jones and linebacker T.J. Edwards were not full participants.

Larry Borom replaced Jones and Jack Sanborn came in for Edwards.

"It's nothing major," Eberflus said. "I saw them out there in walk-through. They're moving around. So they're close.  So we don't know how it's going to be. The training staff will decided that."

Dynamic Duo

Asked who has the best receiving tandem in the league, Allen seemed at a loss and asked for others besides himself and DJ Moore. Miami's Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were mentioned.

"Tyreek and Waddle is pretty good," Allen admitted.

Then as he left the interview room podium, he said, "It's me and DJ. Come on now."

Lining Up

Ryan Bates got first crack at the No. 1 center spot and played it all practice. He has only had 203 NFL snaps at center while former Rams center Coleman Shelton has over 1,100.

"We ask our centers to have really good movement skills and be very intelligent," Eberflus said. "We run a lot of inside, outside zone. We're jumping to the second level, to the linebackers, so they got to be able to get on them, to stick on them and stay. He has that.

"And then, the ability to make the calls, move the protections when need be, communicate, be a great communicator–that’s what Bates-y does."

No Family Guys

The omission of a family day workout at Soldier Field this year was done because of scheduling difficulties resulting from the early start to preseason. The Bears start Aug. 1 at Canton in the Hall of Fame Game but it wasn't the only reason. There was a conflict with dates at Soldier Field.

"A concert, I believe. I believe it was a concert," Eberflus said. "I wish we had it. I love that experience because it's great for the players to be able to get in there and do that. It just didn't work with the Hall of Fame Game and where the schedule fit and how the sequencing of practices and days off worked out this year."

The concert at Soldier Field: Metallica Aug. 9 and 11.

Family day workouts need to come in early August prior to the first preseason games.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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.