Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has checked every box since joining the team as the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He's organized passing sessions with veterans, he's carried himself with class, and he didn't hold out.
Put another way, he's been everything that pundits said he wasn't during the pre-draft process.
Now that Bears training camp is here, Williams faces a new challenge: he must be the quarterback his scouting report says he can be, a generational player of the likes the NFL hasn't seen since Andrew Luck.
Indeed, Williams' talent warrants that projection. But he is human, and mistakes will occur.
"I think I’m the toughest on myself," Williams said Friday from Halas Hall. "I go out there, and I’ll mess up a play. I’ve thrown a pick in minicamp and things like that. Being tough on myself but also having an understandment of where we are and where I am. The progression, like I said before, is key. Those bad times it’s not a time to have self doubt. That’s just a waste of time. It’s a time to keep growing, keep progressing and keep believing in yourself.”
Williams has a rare level of maturity for a rookie. In fact, he's so focused on the task at hand that he isn't looking down the road to his pro debut against the Tennessee Titans. He isn't even looking forward to his preseason debut, or the Bears' joint practices against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Instead, Caleb Williams is focused on competing against the Chicago Bears defense everyday in practice.
“Practice here is just as valuable as those moments,” Williams said. “So it’s making sure I’m not looking forward to preseason and those preseason games and I’m focused on playing against the Chicago Bears defense right now. And when those moments come, take those moments as just as valuable as practice.”
Naturally, there's pressure on Williams to be the guy early in his rookie season. Veterans DJ Moore and Cole Kmet both talked about wanting to hit the ground running in 2024. And while the former Heisman Trophy winner is just as eager to make plays, he knows it will be a process.
Fortunately, he has veterans like Moore and Kmet to lean on.
"I do have people like Cole and DJ," Williams said. "I mean, Cole will correct me when I’m wrong and things like that, whether that’s in the huddle or we’re talking about stuff. On the offensive line, we constantly talk about cadence. So it’s just trying to get the right rhythm and pace with these guys so we can keep going on that upward trend.”
The Chicago Bears have been on an upward trend since Ryan Poles took over as general manager in 2022. For the first time in a long time, the Bears are a very real threat in the NFC North, and the NFC in general. How fast Caleb Williams acclimates to the NFL will likely determine just how high this team's ceiling is in 2024.
So far, so good.
