Bear Digest

Why Bears Insist Caleb Williams Appears to Be on Schedule

Analysis: Bears coaches say they are seeing exactly what they need to see from Caleb Williams and defensive players are seeing him find ways to beat them more often.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams works at pocket presence and avoiding the rush during pre-practice warmups.
Caleb Williams works at pocket presence and avoiding the rush during pre-practice warmups. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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The thrill ride that is Caleb Williams' development might cause anxiety for some.

Bears coaches who are the closest to what he's doing and opponents from the defense each day in practice say to forget it, and Williams is right where he needs to be.

Admittedly, they have to say it because he's their quarterback, but their reasons for saying this vary to the point where it would seem all bases are covered.

Whether it's the passes he's throwing that are batted down at the line, or the offense being generally outplayed by the defense or anything else, the Bears insist Williams is on track toward where he needs to be for the game that counts most, the Sept. 8 opener against Houston.

"Yeah I think for us when we watch him and watch him go through his reads and his progressions right there, I think going to where the ball should go is happening way more times that not," offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. "And some of the things that haven't worked out have been from just a near miss here or an angle that, you know, wasn't feeling it the right way there.

"'OK, got it. On to the next one.' But he has been doing a good job reading with his feet, sticking within progression, recognizing coverage structures. So seeing all those things is what really gives you the confidence moving forward."

The basics of throwing mechanics and recognizing defenses are not the only reasons.

“He makes two to three throws every day that’s better than most rookie quarterbacks you’ve been around.”

- Thomas Brown on Caleb Williams

"He makes two to three throws every day that's better than most rookie quarterbacks you've been around," passing game coordinator Thomas Brown said. "Being able to understand how to operate the offense, play on time, but also not take away from his athletic ability to move outside the pocket's gonna be a big thing. He's done a really good job so far."

These might seem fine but in practice Williams has had some passes batted down. It would seem like the type of problem any 6-foot-1 quarterback would need to battle. Drew Brees was actually listed about an inch shorter than Williams on rosters and found ways to get past players batting down passes.

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"I don't think it'll be an issue," quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said. "When you look at it in practice, those defensive linemen, they know they have to stop at a certain point, so the throwing lanes are a little different than what happens in a real game when guys are really trying to get to you and make a sack.

"The D-lineman that's being blocked and he's right in front, he knows, 'Ok, I can't get close to him so I'm just going to put my hands up.' So I can't make a fair assessment to say he's gonna have a problem with that. It's just that it happens in practice because of the way we practice."

A way Williams is going to avoid those bat-downs his with his legs.

"Really just his mobility in the pocket, trying to contain him, he makes his reads and then he's able to move around," defensive tackle Gervon Dexter said. "He's not a statue in there." 

Linebacker T.J. Edwards realizes there have been plenty of practices where the defense has had the better of it, but sees it shifting. Williams is the main reason.

"I think you can just tell that they're getting more and more confident in terms of how they're operating," Edward said. "Also, I think the run game has looked really solid just with all the movement and things that we do, I think they've done a good job of handling that and finding some answers for it.

"It's just dynamic players everywhere and its hard to get a great match up everywhere. At the end of the day you gotta win your one-on-ones in this league and they definitely have a high chance of doing that, 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.