Bear Digest

Who's the Boss? No Doubt for Bears It's Caleb Williams Now

The Bears see Caleb Williams as being more "bossy" on the field with the offense, and it's likely to increase as his success with the pasing game does.

Gene Chamberlain

End zone celebrations like the one between Keenan Allen and DJ Moore are coming more frequently with Caleb Williams taking command of the offense.
End zone celebrations like the one between Keenan Allen and DJ Moore are coming more frequently with Caleb Williams taking command of the offense. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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The sideline discussions by DJ Williams and other receivers with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a purpose.

Their rookie QB was asserting himself, and communicated the message.

Cameras had caught everyone talking on the sideline a lot and Moore sitting by himself a few times in past games but ultimately both Williams and Moore say it served its purpose--Williams is in charge on the field and the passing attack is starting to cook heading into Sunday's game with the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

"He's taking those strides that he needs to," Moore said. "He's been bossy lately, telling us that we need to be on the details, that we really do for him to be the best player that he really needs to be. He's been a leader.

"So what I mean by bossy is if we don't hit something in practice, he's going to tell us how we need to run it, this-this that. And we just look at him and be like 'Ok.' And then when we get out there we've just got to make sure that it works because he's going to have some words for you if it don't. So that's him being a leader. He's a little bossy, just a little Bro, so yeah, you do want to see that. Like I said, he's like little Bro."

Rookie First-Round QB TD Passes

Caleb Williams, Bears

5

Jayden Daniels, Commanders

4

Bo Nix, Broncos

3

Drake Maye, Patriots

0

Michael Penix, Falcons

0

And if it doesn't work out?

"You're like looking at him like 'dude don't you be talking to me like that,' " Moore said, to a laughing media. "But I understand because we need to really connect on that and that's what we did this past week. So I took his advice, I listened. Older Bro had to take a back seat for once."

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Williams heard the description, that he was being bossy.

"Bossy. Sounds a lttle sassy, you know what I mean?" he said. "No. I get it. I think partially it was me learning everybody and understanding how everybody react to certain things. Certain people, you can b a little bossy, certain people, you have to talk very monotone and in control of yourself. Other times there's people that you can completely lash out. I don't really lash out much. It's not really my vibe."

Williams says they need to hear this once in a while. He didn't do it as much earlier because he didn't know the offense well enough yet himself. Who's going to listen to a rookie without experience in the offense or the league?

Now, his bark carries a bite after he has gone 70-for-104 with 824 yards, five touchdown passes and two interceptions for a 99.2 passer rating and 7.9 yards an attempt in the last three games.

"The other part of it is getting more comfortable and understanding the offense a little bit better, getting more comfort, calling it and things like that," Williams said. "Being in games being in the live-action moments.

"I think its been since the start of the season. I think there were things that we were getting better at, things that I need to be better at, things that, and paritally it was me speaking up a little bit more and not getting so annoyed and understanding what I need to say to people and how I need to say it, when i need to say it," Williams said. "And I think that progress has grown from the first game until now."

It's very apparent it has grown from the third game until now, anyway.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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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.