Chicago Bears OC Shane Waldron talks about Caleb Williams’ visible improvements
Caleb Williams wasn’t perfect when he attended the Bears minicamp in May. Williams also had some rookie moments in OTA’s. He also wasn’t officially a Bear. Now that the quarterback has signed his first NFL contract, the Caleb Williams era in Chicago can finally begin.
On Sunday, new Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron told the media that Williams has improved since he last saw the QB at OTA’s.
Waldron noted that Williams is impressing everyone with his improvement.
Only two days in, this is one of the standout storylines out of training camp.
Chicago sports media reports on Shane Waldron’s evaluation of Williams’ progress
Multiple Chicago sports reporters and media personalities reported their observations from Sunday’s training camp session. This included quotes reporters gathered from people like Shane Waldron. Waldron was asked about what he thought of Caleb Williams in the first two days of training camp.
Waldron had nothing but good things to say about the rookie’s progress.
Chicago Bears OC Shane Waldron said that rookie QB Caleb Williams is impressing. In Training Camp, he’s a “step ahead” of where he left off after OTAs. #DaBears
— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) July 21, 2024
Williams threw some bad interceptions in OTA’s. He also showed off some of the negatives that people pointed out about his game during his time in college. This includes holding the ball too long, and not making the easy pass.
While those still remain issues, he is improving over those areas over time. Pressuring Williams to be perfect is the worst thing the Bears can do for him. Williams needs time to develop and grow into the best version of himself. And based on the reports, that seems like what the Bears are trying to do.
Now that training camp has begun, Caleb Williams has been showing everyone that he has been hard at work to be the best QB he can be.
Shane Waldron says he sees "everyday incremental improvements" from Caleb. Came back from OTA's better.
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) July 21, 2024
Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago reported what he saw from Caleb Williams at day 2 of Chicago Bears training camp.
Caleb Williams was quick and decisive in 7-7 and found Keenan Allen several times in 11-11.
Two plays of the day: a 30 yard completion from Caleb Williams to Tyler Scott. Scott made a nice catch on a corner route with Kyler Gordon in coverage.
In the 2-minute period, Caleb Williams tried to sling a sidearm throw to DJ Moore but Tyrique Stevenson jumped the route and made a tremendous sliding interception to end the drill.
Breakdown of Caleb Williams training camp performance so far
The “everyday incremental improvement” is a big deal for a rookie QB. Constant and consistent improvement is what a team wants to see out of their rookie. Becoming an elite signal caller does not happen overnight. Williams may not be elite as a quarterback right now, but he has the work ethic to get there.
One thing to note about Caleb Williams making mistakes in training camp is who he is lining up against. Williams gets the luxury of playing against the bears defense in training camp. This is a luxury for him because of the golden learning opportunity it provides.
Very rarely does a rookie quarterback come into the league, and he gets to practice against one of the top defenses in the NFL. The Bears ended last season as a top 20 overall defense. Williams will face defenses that are worse than the Bears in the 2024 season. He will also be faced with more challenging defenses.
Williams will play his first game with a solid idea of what a good NFL defense looks like. It is worth mentioning that training camp is toned down. The QB is often not allowed to be tackled or hit during training camp. He can still be hurried, but he isn’t taking hits. The overall pace of training camp is much more laid back than a regular NFL game as well.
That isn’t to say training camp isn’t hard work. Receivers and defensive backs can be seen battling for positioning and playing the ball aggressively.
Training camp is a great place to get some meaningful pre-season reps in. Camp allows players to work back into football shape and sharpen their edge. But at the end of the day, all these players are teammates and nobody wants to hurt their own teammate.
Final thoughts
Williams improvement is a great sign for the Bears. Making mistakes in camp is also a good thing. Making mistakes in training camp allows Williams to learn without costing the team a game. He can look back and really breakdown what he did wrong.
The Chicago Bears inch closer to their regular season kickoff every day. Each training camp session is essential to preparing for the gauntlet that is an NFL season. Caleb Williams is taking things seriously, and getting better day by day.
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