Caleb Williams didn’t disappoint in his preseason debut for the Chicago Bears. He went 4-of-7 for 95 yards. Two of those incompletions were drops by his receivers. The other was a barely-missed touchdown pass. He also converted a 3rd and 9 with a 13-yard scramble. His arm strength, accuracy, and overall poise on the field stood out. At no point did Williams look flustered. His feet were calm in the pocket and he made good decisions. For a rookie to look like a veteran on the road is beyond encouraging.
It seems the fans weren’t the only ones feeling giddy about the performance. His own teammates couldn’t hold back their excitement when Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago caught up with them. Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and D’Andre Swift each took turns praising their quarterback.
“Man, woooo, I’m not going to lie now. That boy special. He special,” Odunze said, smiling from ear to ear while looking over at Williams. “I thought he was very calm, cool and collected back there. He was poised. He made plays with feet. Making plays with, of course, his tremendous arm talent.”
“Outstanding,” Moore said. “He did good. Those first two drives were amazing. He went out there with a bunch of confidence and he did good.”
“Just not letting the outside noise get in,” Swift said. “Him being comfortable out there and having fun. That was the main thing I wanted to see out there.”
This kind of buzz is in line with what others have said. Leading up to the game, Marcedes Lewis and Tremaine Edmunds said that Williams was doing special things in practice. Their confidence in him was sky-high. It seems they aren’t alone.
Caleb Williams looks like he belongs.
Remember, he was going against a Buffalo team that has been a powerhouse in the AFC for years. Their defense was top-10 in the league last year with a pass rush that had 54 sacks. The weather was also windy, getting up to above 20 mph. None of it affected Williams. He executed the offense with precision, made checks at the line, and improvised when necessary. There are still areas to clean up. His processing needs to be a bit quicker at times, but there wasn’t much to nitpick.
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This excitement and anticipation around the Bears weren’t even seen during the first months of Justin Fields’ arrival. People were hopeful, sure, but this feels different. Beneath the hope, there is a degree of confidence. The players inside the locker room can sense it. They know Caleb Williams is different. He has the physical tools, but what separates him is his mental acuity. He can think the game through and is willing to put in the work as well. There is a palpable sense that the franchise finally has the missing piece.
Did anyone else think Brett Rypien threw a better ball than Bagent does when he played in that first preseason game? It looked fast and crisp. I like Bagent and I want him to succeed, but every throw has a bot of rainbow to it and that slows the pass down.
The Bears need QB Caleb to be good to very good. He does not need to be excellent or outstanding. Because at either level, Bears fans will treat him like a savior, though the other players will need to do their parts as well. Let’s be fair and balanced with ourselves in that regard, and at least wait to see how things go in the next two exhibition games.