There was a stretch in the Bears’ second preseason game that provided a tantalizing look at what rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is capable of doing on the football field.
Williams got flushed to his left on a second down late in the first half against the Bengals, evaded pressure and settled enough to deliver a strike to fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze for a 45-yard gain. Williams cleared pressure again a play later to find Odunze in the back of the end zone, but Odunze couldn’t get his feet in bounds on the catch so Williams just did it himself a couple of plays later and ran for a touchdown.
It was stuff for the highlight reel and it’s exactly the combo of athletic and improvisational ability that made Williams the first overall pick this year. It’s also not exactly what Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles want to see on every play. Eberflus said at a Wednesday press conference that the Bears want Williams to “play point guard” by getting the ball to the right people most of the time and then let the “X-factor come out” at the right times.
“I think that’s kind of the big thing,” Poles said at his own press conference. “Lean on the guys around him, be instinctual, let those wild plays happen at the right time. We saw it in the preseason a little bit. That’s going to be important.”
Those glimpses have helped raise expectations for what he and the Bears can do right away. Those expectations may be jostled by the realities of life in the NFL, but a good supporting cast and the rookie’s obvious ability to make things happen look like the right foundation for future success in Chicago.