How Caleb Williams' best trait shined after 43 preseason snaps with the Chicago Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Through one calendar month of training camp, Caleb Williams has had his ups and downs as he readies himself for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.

The Chicago Bears are confident Williams will be ready. The reason for this lies in what the team has seen between the practice reps, and that was evident at Soldier Field on Saturday.

Williams is always looking for the next play. It led to his practice success, and was on display after his first three drives ended in three-and-outs.

"Everything’s forward-thinking," Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said Monday. "He looks at it as what’s the next chance."

Williams rebounded to put up 10 points before his day was done. Waldron said on Monday something that has impressed in the live-game situations is Williams' ability to comprehend why something didn't work and what went wrong.

The ability to diagnose is something that led to the offense's rebound Saturday.

"It's a great trait that he has when we get over to the sideline and you look at the surface, but before you even look at the surface, he can already tell you the why behind each read," Waldron said. "To me, that is the most important part." 

It began with a deep pass to Tyler Scott.

Williams tested the Bengals' secondary with a deep throw to the second-year receiver and drew a 43-yard pass interference flag.

After the game, Williams, without re-watching film on the play after the game, was able to explain what he saw and described how the play unfolded.

"The corner tried to overplay, he ended up sitting flat-footed," Williams said Saturday. "Tyler ran right by him, ran a great route. The safety came down on the deep over. Then the backside corner tried to invert and get over the top of that. We teach it to stay up and don't cross the hash and things like that because that backs that corner would never be able to make that play."

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears passes in the first half of a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field on August 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

That's the kind of diagnosing skills that stands out to Waldron, which is impressive from a quarterback that's had just three quarters of action at the NFL level.

The Chicago Bears announced Williams was the starter before he even stepped onto the practice field, too. The pressure was on, but Williams never showed any cracks in his confidence. When he was asked if he expected to be great immediately, Williams said "why wouldn't I?"

That confidence was tested plenty. When Williams needs to understand a concept more, he asks. But that has not been the norm.

"If he’s not seeing it clearly or something like that, that’s where you really need to go back and go through it," Waldron said. "But he sees it clearly, can really talk about different windows."

Going back to the drawing board after a slow start to the offense is much better than having a full bottom out of an offense. That happened to the Bears last season.

Williams didn't throw three interceptions or fumble the ball away Saturday, even in the rain. But, he made it clear the slow start is unacceptable.

The offense took the positives in how they were able to rally after just one quarter of play.

"That's a good learning moment for us," Bears offensive lineman Darnell Wright said after Saturday's preseason game. "To start slow, whatever the reason is, maybe it was execution, maybe it was a little bit of this or that."

Whatever the reason was, Williams was able to diagnose it and come up with a solution on his own.

That included dialing into the Williams-to-Rome Odunze connection, which only brought out more excitement in the Bears' fan base.

But, he can't rely on scramble-drill plays all the time. There needs to be a balance between being in rhythm and doing what he can to make a play when there is none. Waldron understands that.

"For us with him, it’s about finding the balance between those two things," Waldron said. "What are the windows that are legit completions before getting into scramble."

So far, the scramble plays are exciting. It's how Williams caught the eyes of so many as a quarterback prospect. But, Williams will need to execute the offense if he wants to sustain his career at a high level in the NFL. Not every play will be a boom-or-bust scramble.

He knows this. Waldron does too, and the confidence Waldron has in his quarterback stems from his ability to diagnose plays and understand what went right or what went wrong.

From there, Waldron said it's about stacking information and storing it in his mind. Williams has shown his ability to do that in the preseason.

The team now has to make sure that trait, arguably his most important one, comes out when the games matter.

"We're all excited that we're going to win a lot of games, have a lot of fun doing it," Williams said Saturday.