Caleb Williams constantly conveys confidence, and when the Bears’ first practice in full pads got heated Friday, he jumped right in with no hesitation.
Tension bubbled up almost immediately. On one play early in 11-on-11 work, defensive end DeMarcus Walker — a renowned talker and agitator — got into it with tight end Gerald Everett. Walker crossed into the offensive side of the field and went after Everett after the play, but was stopped by none other than Williams.
Granted, Williams has somewhat of a superpower knowing no one’s allowed to touch him, and the Bears probably don’t want their prized rookie quarterback getting into it with a defensive end who is 65 pounds heavier than him. But it sent a message.
“That’s my quarterback,” veteran offensive lineman Ryan Bates said. “I love that. I love that mentality.
“He’s got to be smarter, though, because we can’t have that — God forbid anything happens. But I love when he stepped in there and got in the middle of it. That’s who he is. He’s a chippy guy. He wants to get in there, he wants to compete.”
The whole practice was like that, though the Bears avoided any full-on fights, and Williams was right in the thick of it. He had another hit-and-miss day, but closed it with two highlight-reel passes to thrill the packed bleachers at Halas Hall.
As Williams got ready for a two-minute drill at his own 35-yard line, a Bears defensive lineman taunted the offensive line by yelling, “Y’all can feel free to block us anytime you want.”
Williams got the offense moving with short completions to running back Roschon Johnson and rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze, then made one of his sharpest passes of training camp: a quick decision under pressure to fire a fastball to Keenan Allen over the middle 20 yards downfield.
He overthrew Odunze open in the end zone on the next play, then struck on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Scott down the right side. Williams had pressure coming from his blind side, moved to the right and flung an off-balanced throw right on target for Scott, who had plenty of space as safety Jaquan Brisker scrambled to catch up to him.
Before that great finish, though, Williams was swarmed by pressure most of the morning, and the offense stalled. There’s no question the Bears have stacked excellent skill players around him, but their offensive line remains a work in progress.
Williams practiced behind a fully healthy line Friday with Braxton Jones returning at left tackle and Teven Jenkins back at left guard. Coleman Shelton was the first-string center as he and Ryan Bates continued alternating days in that role amid their competition. Nate Davis played right guard with Darnell Wright at right tackle.
The Bears’ pass rush, which is widely viewed as a problematic part of their roster, looked strong against the o-line the first week, but it was pointless to make any judgment on that when they weren’t in pads. But that dominance continued Friday.
Offensive line has been an emphasis for general manager Ryan Poles, a former lineman, and Pro Football Focus projected the Bears’ unit as the 11th-best in the NFL going into this season. There’s considerable uncertainty, however.
Wright appears to be the surest thing of the starting five, coming off a strong rookie season. At the other tackle spot, Jones has been solid, but has battled injuries, and the Bears evaluated potential replacements with the No. 9 pick.
Jenkins played just 31 of 51 games over his first three seasons, and the Bears told him they want to hold off on contract talks until October. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal. Davis, like Jones, missed six games last season.
Shelton was a full-time starting center for the Rams the last two seasons, but was available cheaply in free agency on a one-year, $3 million deal. Bates was a backup guard for the Bills last season, and the Bears were able to get him via trade for a fifth-round pick.
Williams still is in arguably the best position any rookie starting quarterback could hope for, but the Bears need to see progress from their offensive line. That’s true not only in the long run, but also in the days leading up to their first preseason game.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he and Poles have had “lengthy conversations” about whether to play Williams against the Texans on Thursday. The team intends to get him 45-65 snaps over its four preseason games, but the health and strength of the offensive line will factor into whether that’s prudent.
Once the regular season starts, though, there’s no more playing it safe. The offensive line has to be sturdy to give him a chance to make use of valuable weapons like D.J. Moore, Allen, Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift. It’s encouraging to see Williams protecting teammates, but they need to protect him, too.