CHICAGO — Months in the past on the NFL mix, Chicago Bears basic supervisor Ryan Poles described two sorts of quarterbacks: The artist who “does not draw throughout the traces” and the surgeon who slices by means of defenses with razor sharp accuracy.
In his second preseason recreation Saturday, Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams confirmed why he is the previous.
After a sluggish begin, the place the Bears offense went three-and-out on three straight possessions within the first quarter of Chicago’s 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams tapped into his inside artist to place collectively his first landing drive of the preseason.
Forward 3-0 earlier than the two-minute warning within the first half, Williams dropped again to cross whereas retaining his eyes downfield. Upon spinning out of the pocket away from strain, the 22-year-old quarterback flung a deep ball on the transfer to rookie huge receiver Rome Odunze, who got here down with a 45-yard reception whereas flanked by Bengals cornerback Josh Newton.
It was Williams’ longest completion of the preseason, the place he has totaled 43 snaps in two video games in opposition to Buffalo and Cincinnati. And it wasn’t the one time he put his precision on the transfer on show. One play later after rolling to his proper and dancing round Bengals defensive finish Justin Blazek, Williams scrambled to maintain the play alive and lasered a cross into the again nook of the tip zone the place Odunze was ready.
The one downside? The rookie receiver’s ft had been simply exterior the boundary.
“Man, that was only a mistake by me,” Odunze mentioned. “I assumed I used to be Tony toe-tap again there. I assumed I had at the least a foot.”
The Williams-Odunze connection highlighted why the Bears used their prime two picks at Nos. 1 and 9 on the quarterback and huge receiver, respectively. After the 2 failed to attach on a crimson zone play final week at Buffalo, the symmetry the 2 confirmed off Saturday has Williams keen for his or her potential.
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“We’ll be explosive,” Williams mentioned. “We’re two rooks, however we’re attempting to catch as much as the previous guys as quick as we will to guarantee that we’re proper there on par with them to have the ability to be environment friendly, operate, go on the market and be explosive, be on the identical web page and win video games. That is finally what we’re right here to do. Having a man like that that was drafted with me, we’re solely going to continue to grow and preserve constructing this connection.”
After totaling 16 yards of offense on their first three collection, the Bears started to seek out momentum on their fourth drive when Odunze ripped off a 16-yard finish round and Tyler Scott was on the receiving finish of a 43-yard defensive cross interference penalty that received the Bears right down to the 15-yard line.
Chicago’s offense stalled on its first journey contained in the crimson zone, which culminated with Cairo Santos booting a 37-yard discipline purpose to present the Bears their first factors of the day.
On Williams’ fifth and remaining drive, two performs after Odunze’s 45-yard reception received Chicago again into the crimson zone, Williams scrambled on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line and ran in a landing.
Williams mentioned postgame that his pure inclination, even when scrambling, is to throw the ball. Studying to take what the protection gave him in that state of affairs put him in place to hurry for a rating.
“I have been attempting to get a bit of bit higher with balancing that and taking what they offer me, taking what the protection provides me, whether or not it is a run for yardage or fast cross in entrance of me,” Williams mentioned. “It is at all times a relentless battle to do issues like that. You simply proceed to get higher at these conditions.”
Bears coach Matt Eberflus categorized Williams’ second preseason outing as a “skilled day at quarterback” which noticed the No. 1 general choose full 6 of 13 passes for 75 yards and a dashing landing. Eberflus mentioned that the teaching employees didn’t modify the quantity of performs Williams acquired Saturday based mostly on the offense’s tough begin, and intimated that the plan all alongside was for the quarterback to play all through the primary half.
“It is not at all times going to be rosy,” Eberflus mentioned. “You are not going to make all of your completions and make these massive chunk performs to begin out.
“I assumed [Williams’] stream of the sport was very nice. I assumed his disposition, when he had a bit of adversity on the sideline, was glorious. Him working with the gamers, physique demeanor by no means modified. He was at all times there working by means of the following one.”
