The Chicago Bears media are almost required at this stage to be skeptical of quarterbacks this team acquires. That comes from a decades-long history of ineptitude at the most critical position in football. When you’ve been subjected to Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, and Cade McNown in the last quarter century alone, it becomes easy to understand why even a #1 overall pick like Caleb Williams can’t get the benefit of the doubt. This is why the praise for him has been somewhat held back.
Getting an outside perspective is always interesting in these situations. Bears fans got that opportunity on Thursday when the Cincinnati Bengals visited Halas Hall for a joint practice. Despite ugly rain conditions, the two teams made it through drills. Chicago’s defense intercepted Joe Burrow three times and almost two others. However, Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19 Now admitted in an update on Twitter (X) that Williams was highly impressive during practice, doing pretty much what he wanted against the Bengals’ defense.
Validation from the opponent says a lot about Caleb Williams.
Outside of an early interception in 7-on-7s, the consensus is that the #1 overall pick sliced up Cincinnati through the air with three confirmed touchdowns, including two in the red zone. He did hold the ball at times, leading to “sacks” where a play was blown dead. That said, many of his throws were on time and accurate. The talent was undeniable. It is apparent Williams is learning fast. None of the big plays came from his trademark scrambling, out-of-structure wizardry. It was all from inside the pocket.
He will get a chance to build on this momentum Saturday. Head coach Matt Eberflus announced the Bears starters will play in the preseason game against Cincinnati. Keep in mind the Bengals already announced they would not do the same. That means Caleb Williams will be playing against backups. It is a great opportunity for him and the offense to smooth out some of their execution issues while building confidence. In truth, they may already feel that way after such a productive practice.
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