LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams and his offense lined up at the 35-yard line to wrap up their first practice in protection with situational work.
Right after the number one draft pick threw the ball, the Chicago Bears’ pass rush began to increase.
Then Williams grabbed the ball, ran to his right and broke loose.
I wasn’t looking at short or medium range.
Williams threw a touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Scott, who accelerated just in time to break away from safety Jaquan Brisker and catch the ball.
The fans erupted.
It’s not that Williams has completed every pass as he adjusts to a pro offense or that he’s already figured out each of his receivers’ passing tendencies. Williams and fellow 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze, for example, both missed a few passes in Thursday and Friday practices attended by Yahoo Sports. Odunze explained that he and Williams needed to better detail when he should expect the ball over his shoulder and when it would be behind his shoulder; when his route would primarily dictate ball placement and when the defense might be showing Williams something that Odunze’s point of view didn’t allow.
July practices are a time to learn each other’s tendencies and try new things.
But when Williams found Scott for another deep touchdown in training camp, members of the coaching staff thought: Look at his ability to extend the game. Look at his dominance of the field.
Earlier in training camp, Williams had hit Scott with a similar deep pass. The read didn’t dictate that, but a coverage error created an opportunity. Williams saw it in time and attacked.
“He had that natural feel, that natural spatial awareness (of), ‘Hey, there’s a void that shouldn’t have been there based on how the coverage structure could have played out, but it played out a little bit differently,’” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “He’s starting to get a feel for the tight-window passes that are part of the NFL.
“He’s able to find that for a big play.”
The Bears traded 2021 first-round pick Justin Fields this offseason to the Pittsburgh Steelers, clearing the way for Chicago to select Williams first overall.
They handed the keys to the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner instantly and, in some ways, even earlier, sharing playbook information and terminology before the draft after they determined he would be their selection.
The Bears named Williams their starter before training camp, avoiding the waiting game many franchises play with their top picks.
Williams’ sky-high talent ceiling helped make that decision easier. So did the Bears’ perceived floor. While the first overall draft pick historically goes to the NFL’s last pick, a previous trade with the Carolina Panthers gave the Bears their pick of the litter despite finishing with better records than seven teams and equal to three others.
The result: a much more stable and talent-rich cast around Williams.
“We’re extremely fortunate to be in the situation we’re in,” assistant general manager Ian Cunningham told Yahoo Sports. “We had good foresight and tried to maximize the draft position we had on certain moves. And I think a little bit of that (was) we got lucky, too, right?
“I think it’s fair to say.”
Now, they’ll try to capitalize on the combination of luck and foresight, encouraging creativity in plays — including the ability to run without hesitation — even more than last year, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent told Yahoo Sports. The Bears also want Williams to grow in the pocket and continue to make plays within the rhythm and tempo of the offense.
“You can tell in a quarterback if he’s got happy feet or he’s calm in the pocket,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson told Yahoo Sports. “And I think in general, he’s really calm. Of course, if he’s collapsing, he knows how to escape and get out. But I feel like he doesn’t have happy feet and he’s not nervous.
“He’s getting better every day, he just has to keep playing and get comfortable and with that comfort comes confidence. And once he gets confidence, I think he’ll take over the league for sure.”
