Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams offered more of the same lukewarm stuff during his final practice with veteran players before training camp. Williams and the Bears rookies will be back next week for minicamp, but the rest of the roster is off until July.
Caleb Williams has had an up-and-down minicamp
The No. 1 pick in the draft has had a rocky start to OTAs. That’s not surprising, as Williams is adjusting to the speed of the NFL and learning a new offensive scheme. Williams threw interceptions in each of his first two days of mandatory minicamp when he took an extra hitch. Williams cleaned that up on Thursday.
Williams lit it up during the 7-on-7 drill
According to Nicholas Moreano with CHGO Sports, Williams lit it up during the 7-on-7 drill:
In 7-on-7s, Caleb Williams threw a touchdown pass to DJ Moore on a post route in the middle of the field. It was a tight window throw, and Tyrique Stevenson was in coverage. Williams put some serious velocity on the throw.
On the next play, Williams hit Rome Odunze with a touch pass near the left sideline. The ball was put exactly where it needed to be.
While Williams performed well against a skeleton defense, the Bears were once again unable to beat the defense during the team period.
Anyone who has watched tape of Williams at USC knows he has an arm. Williams’ success during the 7-on-7 session is encouraging. However, the Bears have an idea of where Williams needs to improve in training camp after seeing him practice this week.
The Chicago Bears know where Williams has to improve
Williams has struggled during the team period because of the defensive line. Williams has struggled to complete passes with a pass rush, and that’s part of the reason why the Bears’ defense has been getting stops during 11-on-11. As Adam Jahns with the Athletic noted during Wednesday’s practice, Williams led the Bears to a field goal in the team period, but only after the defense called off the dogs:
Bears QB Caleb Williams and the offense did finish the two-minute drill with a FG by Cairo Santos. Roschon Johnson, Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen all caught passes. But here’s an important note: the pass rush appeared to be purposely stopping after its first couple steps.
Opposing defenses won’t be showing Williams the same kind of mercy starting in September. In fact, most defenses will try and pressure Williams more at the beginning of the season until the rookie proves he can handle the pressure.
Again, this doesn’t mean Williams is a bust. It will take time for him to learn how to deal with pressure. However, it is a growing pain that will affect the offense until Williams improves in that area.
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