Caleb Williams Watch: How Bears QB performed on Day 3 of training camp

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3 days ago

The Chicago Bears kicked off training camp on Wednesday morning with their first practice of the summer, and there was plenty to break down from Day 3 -- 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 third practice of Bears training camp:
The Good
It was another rocky day for Williams and the offense, but they ended practice on a high note. During the two-minute drill, the Bears offense had more than 90 seconds on the clock with the ball at its 35-yard line. Here's how the sequence went, according to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain: "Williams opened with a completion to Odunze before a long scramble. He then hit Zaccheaus on an out route, but a false start by rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo, followed by a sack, forced the first-team offense to settle for a field goal."
While Chicago's offense struggled during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 early on, there were some good moments later on in practice, according to Bear Report's Zack Pearson. Williams found wide receiver Rome Odunze at the front right pylon for a touchdown with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in coverage. Williams went back at Stevenson and "delivered a strike to (Olamide) Zaccheaus in the back of the end zone for the final touchdown on the next play." The hope is the good moments are something for the offense to build on.
The Bad
Eventually, this section will be short (or at least that's the hope), but that's not the case right now. Williams had another rough start to practice, and it's clear it's going to take some time to get things down. During 7-on-7 in the red zone, Williams started 0-for-5, per The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain, had a couple of deflected passes, missed a wide-open Rome Odunze and then proceeded to throw back-to-back interceptions to safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker T.J. Edwards. According to Bear Report's Zack Pearson, "the pick by Edwards was a throw Williams wanted back as he forced a throw into coverage and Edwards was able to pick it off easily."
Things weren't much better during 11-on-11, where Williams faced pressure from defensive ends Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo, had another tipped ball in a pass attempt to tight end Cole Kmet and Williams was also "bailed out by a pass interference call."
The Noteworthy
Friday's practice featured a heavy emphasis on red zone work, but it was a rough go for Williams, who was among the best quarterbacks in the red zone last season. According to the Sun-Times' Patrick Finley, "there wasn't a lot to be optimistic about."
According to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain, Williams went 0-for-5 during the 7-on-7 period in the red zone. Here's how it went: "His first throw was dropped, and linebacker Noah Sewell deflected the second. He then missed wide receiver Rome Odunze on a fade before back-to-back interceptions. A pass to receiver DJ Moore was deflected into the air and into the arms of safety Jaquan Brisker. Linebacker T.J. Edwards picked off the next pass."
Fishbain said the 11-on-11 period in the red zone wasn't much better. "Williams got bailed out a bit by a pass-interference call. Then defensive ends Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo helped force an incomplete pass. Following a D'Andre Swift run, cornerback Kyler Gordon got his hands on a pass to tight end Cole Kmet."
But the offense bounced back during the short red zone. "From the 5-yard line, Williams got the ball out quickly to Odunze for a touchdown near the pylon. On the next play, Williams threw a strike to the back middle of the end zone, connecting with Zaccheaus."
Naturally, Williams and the offense's early struggles aren't reassuring. But it's also Day 3 of training camp with six weeks until Week 1.
'Obviously, we're in our third day of install,' offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. 'This is their first time coming through in the fall with the red zone stuff. It always gets a little bit tighter down there. The biggest thing is you don't waste any failure on an individual play. We've got to go back and we're going to watch the tape with these guys this afternoon and clean up some of the intricate details of what we're asking them in the red zone.'
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Caleb Williams Watch: How Bears QB performed on Day 3 of training camp