What We See From the Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams Is a Leader and Other Observations

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When it comes to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in training camp, what you saw from him ultimately confirmed what you heard about him.

Forget his arm talent, his elusiveness and his increasing comfort level in the pocket.

It’s about his leadership and his likability. It’s about Williams’ ability to connect not only with his teammates and coaches, but also with the various support staff around Halas Hall.

He’s a galvanizing spark for the entire organization in a football-crazy town yearning for another Super Bowl.

Believe everything his coaches and teammates say about him because they believe what they say. It’s all true.

“He had that style, that demeanor, as a QB1, on a new team,” Gerald Everett said. “Obviously, at USC, he had the style, the poise and the confidence to build that relationship with those guys at the college level. But now he’s looking to have that here. We’re going to support him.”

That seems like a lot to say and digest. Williams has yet to take a single snap in a regular-season game for the Bears. Adversity awaits him and the Bears.

But if the front office was hoping that training camp would confirm everything they heard about Williams as they gathered information and conducted interviews during their pre-draft evaluation, they got that and more.

“For our recruiting department, it’s a very good lesson to learn: you have to do your own homework,” Poles said in an interview with the “Hoge & Jahns” podcast.

“You have to ask the right people. You have to meet with someone and not really bring the outside narrative into your evaluation. You really have to see it the way you see it and the way the people who are constantly around the player from high school to college, how they’ve seen them develop. Again, it’s a really good scouting lesson on how to do your homework and draw conclusions instead of just listening and taking it at face value.”

It’s unfair to compare Williams to Justin Fields, his predecessor. The Bears don’t want to do that. But the fact that Williams is comfortable becoming the face of the team — immediately — is remarkable. It’s felt throughout Halas Hall and noted publicly. He seems ready for whatever comes with being the Bears’ quarterback, which, as we all know, is a lot. He gets it.

Caleb Williams, the player

The word you hear a lot is “spin.” Players and coaches often reference it when they talk about how Williams throws the ball. And then you see it in practice. The tight spirals, the moneyed throws, and the exceptional plays on the move. We also saw the cadence issues early on, both in OTAs and then during the first week or two of training camp. False starts were an issue, and Williams adjusting to the pro style of play calling may have taken some time, but he’s made progress in that area. We rarely saw a pre-snap penalty in the final weeks of camp, and the unit was also pretty clean in its limited preseason action. The accuracy was noted by players and coaches alike.

What will the O line look like?

Investing in Williams means protecting Williams — and right guard Nate Davis is still part of the team’s plan to do that, even though he was signed last year (three-year, $30 million deal) to protect Fields at starting guard and missed six games. The Bears have a top-10 pick in Darnell Wright and a new center in Coleman Shelton, but no offensive lineman has been talked about as much during camp as Davis. It started with coach Matt Eberflus. He absolutely challenged Davis publicly through his media comments, and others, including Poles, followed suit. With Ryan Bates out with a shoulder injury, Davis is the starter at right guard. But this camp storyline appears far from over.

Talented new players live up to the buzz

You’re not supposed to pay attention to running backs in the spring. Players don’t have protections. But it was impossible not to see why the Bears prioritized D’Andre Swift in free agency. His speed and agility were notable but not surprising. The fluidity with which he caught passes was a telling part of training camp. And don’t underestimate the Velus Jones Jr. effect on the running backs room. It’ll take time, and he could be third or fourth in line for carries, so don’t expect many, if any, snaps early on. But there’s plenty of support for Jones in the building and looking for ways to get the ball in his hands. For all the understandable talk about the quarterback, the Bears will still want to run the ball.

.@DAndreSwift go for 42yds 💨

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/ASlD1bVJmf

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 10, 2024

At receiver, it would take too long to list the compliments heaped on rookie receiver Rome Odunze. Defensive players, offensive players and coaches all acknowledge his talent and work ethic. Cornerbacks learn from Keenan Allen’s defense in practice. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson sighed heavily when asked how he covers Allen in practice. “I feel like his ability to create separation when he needs it is second to none,” Stevenson said. And that doesn’t even include DJ Moore, who got a contract extension this summer and has built a relationship with Williams.

Get up Sweat and all the others?

The team’s decision to acquire Darrell Taylor was partly driven by Eberflus’ desire to have as many good pass rushers as possible. For him, that’s pass rushers and cornerbacks. He’s said it often. He always wants more at those positions. But the defensive line also started to look thin in camp, as starters took breaks or dealt with injuries, including Montez Sweat. The development of fifth-round pick Austin Booker has only alleviated some of the concerns. He’ll have a role to play on game days if he doesn’t already. The Bears, however, needed to improve their pass rush behind the blitzers they kept asking for against Williams in camp. They turned to Matthew Judon, who was traded to the Falcons, and then got Taylor. Will the production follow? The Bears defense can’t be one of the best in the league if it doesn’t sack the quarterback more often. Dominique Robinson has been a disappointment in that category over his two NFL seasons, but he’s been one of the most improved players in camp, primarily in his performance against the run. Pass pressure will also take another step forward if Gervon Dexter is all he’s been promised.

The deepest secondary defense in football

The Bears aren’t lacking in confidence in the defensive backfield, and neither is the talent level. Jaylon Johnson made plays all summer — when quarterbacks threw in his direction, that is. Kyler Gordon missed time with an injury, then returned to make multiple impact plays against the Bengals. Tyrique Stevenson also stood out in Year 2 with his on-ball play. Two backup cornerbacks, Terell Smith and Josh Blackwell, also caught the attention of coaches and played at a high level during camp and the preseason. There are more questions at safety — not depth, but availability. Jaquan Brisker missed the entire preseason. Kevin Byard, Mr. Durability, missed a week of practice. But the hope is that the duo works well together. And when both were out, it allowed Elijah Hicks to step up his game in Year 3. “We know what we have in our room and we know we can definitely carry a team,” Johnson said early in camp. “I feel like we impact the game with the run and the pass and with the energy and the confidence that we put out there, I feel like there’s no room more confident than ours.”

All eyes are on Eberflus

Some of the best scenes in “Hard Knocks” were Eberflus’ one-on-ones with Williams. Those scenes weren’t made for TV. Eberflus did them with Fields, too. But seeing those interactions helped Eberflus become one of the winners on the “Hard Knocks” team, if there ever was one. Eberflus’ story has changed. He still needs wins to keep his place at Halas Hall, but his team isn’t the disaster many thought it was early last season when assistant coaches were fired and a mercurial receiver was traded. The mood is different, the energy is better. There’s optimism for the future. Part of that comes from Williams and part of that comes from Eberflus.

(Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)