Caleb Williams Watch: How Bears QB performed on Day 10 of training camp

USA Today

16 hours ago

The Chicago Bears continued training camp on Sunday with their 10th practice of the summer, and there was plenty to break down from Family Fest -- including the performance of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams is entering his second season following a rocky rookie year that included two head coaches, three offensive coordinators, being sacked a league-high 68 times, a 10-game losing streak and a 5-12 record. But the Bears prioritized Williams' development this offseason with the hiring of offensive guru Ben Johnson as head coach, overhauling the interior offensive line and adding even more weapons to the mix. All eyes will be on Williams this summer as he continues to learn Johnson's offense and looks to find a rhythm heading into Year 2.
We're taking a look at the good, the bad and the noteworthy with Williams from the 10th practice of Bears training camp:
The Good
It wasn't the best day for the Bears offense, where Williams struggled under duress. But there were still some encouraging moments from Sunday's practice at Soldier Field. That included a brilliantly-designed play by head coach Ben Johnson, where he dialed up a misdirection play where Williams found a wide-open Cole Kmet for a 30-yard touchdown, per Zack Pearson.
'It was good execution by those guys, and I think Caleb had a little pressure in his face, and he was able to still get it over the top and out of there,' Johnson said. 'Well done.'
Williams also shined during the two-minute drill, where he led the offense on a 51-yard game-winning touchdown drive with 51 seconds left. Here's how it went down, per Kevin Fishbain: "Williams opened it with a swing pass to Swift, who had no defender near him and went for 16 yards. A blitz forced a throwaway on first down, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen dialed up a pressure again on second down. This time, Williams got it to Olamide Zaccheaus, running right to left in space, and he went for 26 yards. The operation failed the Bears on first-and-goal, having to call a timeout as the play clock ran down. Following a Nahshon Wright pass breakup, Williams then hit Loveland for a touchdown. The rookie ran a nice route to get Brisker off balance, and Williams got him the ball before Edwards could close on it."
The Bad
The defense dominated the offense on Sunday, and Williams nearly had a couple of turnovers on careless throws with pressure in his face. It started immediately during the first 11-on-11 period, where the following chain of events occurred as the first-team offense battled the second-team defense, per Pearson: "A few runs, two delay of game penalties, a sack, a few pressures and just two completions. At the end, Caleb Williams had a Hail Mary-type throw that should have been picked by Nick McCloud. Rome Odunze prevented the INT with a pass breakup." The offense also continued to struggle with pre-snap penalties, where Williams had three delay of games on the day.
The Noteworthy
The offense has certainly improved from the start of training camp, but there's one lingering issue that remains on Day 10 -- pre-snap penalties that contributed to a sloppy outing at Family Fest. During the first team period, Williams had two delay of game penalties that set the tone for a sloppy practice. Later in practice, Williams was called for a third delay of game, and it's a trend that's been consistent throughout training camp so far -- be it penalties or botched snaps.
Following Sunday's practice, head coach Ben Johnson said the offense's pre-snap operation is "sloppier than we would've hoped for at this point." Johnson said it's something that needs to be addressed, and he noted "it showed up more today than it has in practice" as they simulated a real game.
While tight end Cole Kmet noted there was "a little nervous energy out there," Johnson was clear that if they don't pick it up, "we don't win many games."
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