Caleb Williams’ next practice will be in August, after the Chicago Bears’ first preseason game on Thursday night against the Houston Texans. While he showed flashes of promise in the first couple of weeks of training camp, he’s also shown he has a long way to go before he’s ready to start in Week 1.
Williams acknowledged as much, but he said this week that he’s on track to be ready for his first career start against the Tennessee Titans in September. Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune recently wrote about what has made Williams stand out during practices in July.
Caleb Williams keeps his eyes downfield
Per Biggs, Williams doesn’t give up on a play too early when he feels pressure:
The first is Williams does a really good job of keeping his eyes downfield late in the down. This is happening on snaps where his first read isn’t there and he is re-setting his throwing platform. It’s also happening when he has been flushed out of the pocket. This is the kind of thing that can really stress a defense because he’s programmed to use his legs to create time and space to throw — not tuck and run.
Now, it’s a lot easier to do this against a defense he knows isn’t going to hit him in a practice setting but Williams’ field vision has definitely been on display and that’s a real plus. My hunch is this carries over into actual games because it is something you saw him do with consistency at Southern California
Williams’ predecessor, Justin Fields, abandoned passing plays early and tried to use his legs to get a first down or more. However, Fields also took hits that caused him to miss many games in his first three seasons in the league. He’s continuing his running ways in training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it’s starting disharmony between their offense and defense at practice.
A Chicago Bears QB who can throw sidearm passes
Williams has another intangible that previous Bears quarterbacks did not possess. Biggs wrote that Williams can find unique ways to get the ball to his receivers:
One other thing that’s been readily apparent is the arm talent Williams possesses to deliver the ball from all sorts of platforms and angles. He can throw on the move. He can throw when he drops down. He can throw sidearm when on the move. And he’s delivering the ball with velocity and accuracy.
Williams has shown both skills in an environment where the defense isn’t allowed to touch him. We’ll see if he can keep his eyes downfield and deliver a sidearm pass when the defense is allowed to take his head off.
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