People made so much out of a net throwing drill by Caleb Williams. It was beyond evident that people were looking for any evidence to find that the young quarterback was struggling in training camp. Meanwhile, people paying attention have noted the opposite. After a slow start last month, Williams has progressed rapidly. He’s stringing good practices together and flashing his incredible arm talent. First, it was a 48-yard bomb to Rome Odunze on Tuesday. Next came maybe the sickest practice throw you’ll ever see on Thursday.
It came during an 11-on-11 drill. Williams took a snap. Gervon Dexter drove up the middle and put his 6’6 frame in the passing lane with his long arms. Williams had to adjust his sight line with a sort of peek-a-boo move. In a split decision, he fired a sidearm pass that slipped over the helmet of cornerback Josh Blackwell and into the arms of Colston Loveland, who was well-covered by safety Elijah Hicks. It was the sort of throw you can only shrug your shoulders at. Very few people on the plan could’ve made it.
Caleb Williams clearly hasn’t lost his touch.
Having the confidence to make that sort of throw, practice or not, should tell you everything you need to know about the Bears’ quarterback. There is a reason people keep calling him special. Throwing with that kind of accuracy alone is impressive. Doing it sidearm with a giant defensive lineman in your face is crazy. Meanwhile, Loveland showed you why he was the 10th overall pick. Hicks is in good position. The coverage was almost perfect. It didn’t matter. Loveland was too big, strong, and savvy a pass catcher for it to matter. Caleb Williams is already learning to trust him. Putting a target of that size and capability in the middle of the field is a nightmare for any defense. Should they happen in real games, such completions will be among the most demoralizing.
