WARE, England — One of Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ favorite parts of training camp was watching his handpicked franchise quarterback light up the practice field with the same traits that made him a star in college and the top draft pick this year. It was reassuring to see Caleb Williams’ energy, arm angles and precision translate to the NFL.
His rocky start must’ve been tough, then, as Williams struggled with everything from accuracy to decision making over the first three games. Meanwhile, No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels skyrocketed from the beginning for Williams’ hometown Commanders.
There was a spike of improvement across the board from Williams, though, in the last two weeks and he now appears to be taking flight.
“He’s learning how to play professional football… and you’ve that in terms of the efficiency, protecting the football, taking what’s given to him,” Poles said Wednesday before the team’s practice at Hanbury Manor. “And now explosives are starting to show up.
“So I really like his progress. I love the work ethic and the time that he’s put into it, the grit and toughness, the ability to bounce back from tough games. He’s right where he should be and he’s continuing to get better.”
Williams opened with a 65.3 passer rating and five turnovers over his first three games, losing twice despite the Bears’ defense offering plenty of assistance, then put up a 117.5 rating as the offense racked up a combined 60 points against the Rams and Panthers.
Poles put no qualifiers on Williams’ uptick, which came against two of the NFL’s four worst defenses, and certainly won’t put any asterisks on it if he thrives Sunday in London against the 1-4 Jaguars, who also are in the bottom four defensively.
“From watching his eyes and just going through the process, it was more poised and controlled, and he knew where to go with the ball faster,” Poles said. “Those are all promising things to see, regardless of [opponent].”
Others might disagree, but Poles is the one who has everything — including his job, probably — riding on this. With the top pick in hand, he chose Williams over Daniels and the other four quarterbacks who went in the first round.
Daniels, whom Williams and the Bears face at the end of the month, started hot and stayed that way. He leads the rookie class in every category but touchdown passes and his 106.3 passer rating is fourth in the league.
That could ratchet up the already high expectations on Williams, including his own, but Poles credited him for choosing to “run his own race” rather than get caught up in what his competitors are doing.
“They’re out there balling, they’re out there doing their thing… as they should,” Williams said. “I want to go out there be who I am, for us to be explosive as an offense, and that’s what I’m going to do. What we focus on is being ourselves… and trying to help each other go out there and win.
“That’s the only thing that matters. It’s why Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T., because he wins. That’s the most important thing, the most important stat — the end-all, be-all.”
There’s a critical victory at stake for Williams and the Bears on Sunday. They’ve never won three games in a row under coach Matt Eberflus and standing 4-2 would make for an uplifting bye week.
No Bears rookie has ever had three games with a 100-plus passer rating, and no quarterback of any experience has hit triple digits three games in a row for them in more than a decade.
Williams is out to redirect Bears history, and that starts with proving his recent advances truly are steps toward a brilliant future and not merely momentary flashes.