The Chicago Bears come off a disappointing NFL season they surely don’t want to repeat, finishing last in the NFC North with a 5-12 record and no shot at the playoffs. They will undoubtedly need their best performers, and one of them is Caleb Williams, who is expected to have key moments under the guidance of head coach Ben Johnson.
Unfortunately, an issue has surfaced. The Bears might need to shield their second-year quarterback as he works through timing and accuracy issues in the pre-snap process. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with both timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday.
On Sunday, head coach Ben Johnson opted not to put Williams in the Bears’ first preseason game against the Dolphins. Instead, Johnson conducted a specialized session with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game.
It appears the problem with Caleb Williams extends beyond physical issues and is more related to the mental and technical aspects of the game. Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason matchup. Given the criticism he’s faced in practice reports, the quarterback likely would have been heavily scrutinized for these struggles had they aired during an NFL Network broadcast.
What happened with Caleb?
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the training session. All of the plays were air routes with no defensive pressure or coverage. Even without defenders pressuring or covering his targets, Williams struggled to connect with his receivers in the red zone.
“Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play,” Biggs wrote. “Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run…”
“Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much.”