The Chicago Bears are finally kicking off training camp, and some of the Bears players had time to speak with the media after the first day of practice, including quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams is set to head into Year 3 with high expectations, especially after throwing for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions with 28 big-time throws, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I mean, he’s got it all,” head coach Ben Johnson said on July 28th. “There’s really nothing I don’t think he can’t do. Elite arm talent, playmaking ability. Escapability. He has his legs that he can hurt a defense with. There’s just so many layers to who he is as a player.”
That said, Williams revealed a notable change heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Details New Transformation During Training Camp
That notable change isn’t making the switch to a goatee, either. Caleb Williams said he has lost 10-15 pounds this offseason due to better eating and sleeping habits.
“How to eat, things like that, lost some weight, so it’s good. I’m excited about that, being able to move a little bit better, you know be smoother, all these different things. Just being able to also bring that into the facility with the strength staff and things like that.”
A reporter then asked Williams how much weight he lost, to which he replied with “10 to 15, something like that. Eating at certain times, going to bed and not eating after seven, and you know, just eating consistently well.”
For Williams’ first two seasons in Chicago, he was playing around 225 pounds. Now it looks like he’ll be around that 210-215 threshold, and it’s something he hopes will elevate his game in 2026.
Ben Johnson Moving On in Williams’ Progression
GettyLAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS – JULY 29: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears speaks to the media during Chicago Bears Training Camp at Halas Hall on July 29, 2026 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Last offseason, the main focus was getting Caleb Williams to master the pre-snap operation, as it was a major problem during his rookie year. It’s not second nature to QB1, and Ben Johnson is now focusing on what happens post-snap.
“Things are starting to slow down, and so what we need to see here in camp is that anticipation, take it up a notch. I think with that, the coverage recognition gets taken up another notch. I think there’s other ways we’re going to continue to challenge and push him, more of which are gonna happen post-snap. Last year we talked about that pre-snap operation quite a bit. Feel a lot better about that this time of year than we did so now we’re just moving on to the next stage.”
Pre-snap mastery is largely mechanical — reads, protections, alignment — while post-snap anticipation requires Williams to throw receivers open based on leverage and coverage recognition rather than reacting after the fact.
That’s typically the line between a good quarterback and an elite one. Paired with his reported weight loss and improved conditioning, it points to a quarterback whose mental processing and physical execution are both accelerating heading into a pivotal Year 3.
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