Bear Digest

Early Struggles for Caleb Williams and Bears Offense at OTAs

Last practice in first week of OTAs finds Bears rookie QB struggling to locate receivers and even get the play off at one point.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams steps and fires during passing drills prior to Thursday's OTA practice at Halas Hall.
Caleb Williams steps and fires during passing drills prior to Thursday's OTA practice at Halas Hall. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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One week or one day do not a quarterback make.

Caleb Williams and the Bears offense barely made a dent in the Bears defense throughout non-contact passing work at OTAs during Thursday's third practice and first in front of a media members.

There had been two other practices before this and they all haven't gone the way of the Bears defense like on Thursday.

"I ain't gonna lie, the first day, the offense kind of got after us a little bit," safety Kevin Byard said. "He (Williams) was making some really good throws. We were in the bubble (Payton Center). He was making some good throws and I mean some deep passes.

"He had a really good day and then today 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."

Once Williams and the offense had trouble getting a play call from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron right in the red zone and twice recevers dropped passes. He did find DJ Moore on one quick strike in the red zone and both Roschon Johnson and D'Andre Swift turned short passes into nice gains.

However, Williams experieced trouble finding anyone open whether he was passing within the pocket or extending a play outside of it with his feet while looking for a target. He completed only a handful of throws and none downfield.

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It obviously didn't help when Williams didn't have rookie receiver Rome Odunze available due to a hamstring injury, Keenan Allen because of his wife's and daughter's birthdays and Velus Jones Jr. for an unexplained absence at these voluntary workouts.

The early work in offseason is more about learning the new offense and new players in it getting used to running it than about torching a defense that has been together now three seasons. Later, it gets more involved.

"Specifically with Caleb, it's really just about when he can rip the call, get the call in and out of the huddle, breaking the huddle, having that pace that we need to have," coach Matt Eberflus said. "We've been doing the walk-throughs and he's been really good with that.

"This is the first time going against a pro defense, and a pretty good one. It's going to be learning for everybody. They're getting everything together. It was progress. I saw progress from the first day to the second, the second to the third. So it's good."

Eberflus is convinced he sess the necessary early progress, even if it wasn't apparent in Thursday's third OTA practice.

"I see progress for sure. It’s going to continue to be that way," Eberflus said. "He's been in early, stays late, asking questions at night—he's got his iPad at night in the hotel and has been working his tail off."

Wide receiver DJ Moore pointed out it's not just Williams learning the NFL and learning receiver, but the entire offense learning a new system.

"Right now we're all just getting used to each other," Moore said. "We all have to learn a new offense right now. With him, you just have to know that the growing pains are going to be there. For a rookie, I think he's 22? 23?, so you know you've got a lot to learn and a lot to accomplish in such a short amount of time."

All of the Bears have been at some of the OTAs so far, including Allen and other veterans, said Eberflus. And Odunze will be back soon as he was on the practice doing some of the stretching work on Thursday after he had suffered his injury at rookie camp.

After Williams and the offense struggled Thursday, Byard had some advice for his team's QB as they left the field together. He said he told Williams not to worry about it and just keep fighting.

"And he kind of just looked me straight in the eye and said 'of course I will,' and that was good to see," Byard said.

Moore put it differently from the offensive perspective.

"We got Caleb and we're going to ride through hell and back with him," Moore said.

They'll hope it doesn't require such rugged mileage as they all try to figure out the Waldron offense together.

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.