The Chicago Bears concluded minicamp on Thursday, ending offseason group work with veterans. The next stop on this elevated train to Week 1 is training camp in July, where we’ll get a better look at Caleb Williams and a rejuvenated offense.
Williams reportedly went through ups and downs during OTAs and minicamp, but the No. 1 overall pick only focuses on the possibilities coming down the track.
“Yeah, definitely, it’s pretty awesome,” Williams said, via the team’s official transcript. “I feel that there’s a light at the end of that tunnel. Right now, we’re working with our head down and we’re building, so just having that moment with myself. I do it every day, I sit there and say, ‘We’re going to be pretty good.’ Just have to keep working, keep going. We’re all excited. It’s really important to have that mindset, but also have the mindset of like, ‘Let’s keep going, let’s keep working, let’s get after it.'”
The Bears made massive strides in upgrading their receiving corps this offseason, adding Keenan Allen and first-round pick Rome Odunze to DJ Moore. The offensive line looks better on paper. Overall, it’s a much better situation than the one Justin Fields walked into in Chicago.
The key will be how quickly Williams develops into a difference-making passer.
Matt Eberflus likes how the rookie quarterback is able to digest and learn from the mistakes he’s made at this early stage. The head coach said that Williams facing the first-team defense during minicamp was key to that development.
“Well, we could do things differently where I say, ‘Hey, we’re going have the ones go against the twos and twos go against the ones.’ But, I don’t like that,” Eberflus said. “I think that Caleb is a very good talent and his game will go to where it needs to be because I want him to see that in front of him. The window’s closing, the variation of what we do on defense. I want him to see that day in and day out, so that when he gets to play somebody else, it’ll look, ‘OK, I’ve been here and done that.’ That’s how we’re going to keep it.”
The talent surrounding Williams in 2024 provides the rookie a better chance at immediate success than previous Bears quarterbacks. Chicago fans hope the results are different as well.
