How a practice TD pass shows why Bears drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall — and where he still holds unlocked potential

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams and his offense lined up at the 35-yard line to cap off their first padded practice with situational work.

Just after the No. 1 overall pick snapped the ball, the Chicago Bears pass rush began to swarm.

So Williams clutched the ball, scrambled to his right and unleashed.

He wasn’t looking in short or midrange.

Williams sailed a touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Scott, who sped up just in time to separate from safety Jaquan Brisker and haul in the catch.

Fans erupted.

It’s not that Williams has completed every pass as he adjusts to a pro offense nor is that he’s already intuited each of his receivers’ tendencies on their go balls. Williams and fellow 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze, for example, missed on some go balls in Thursday and Friday practices attended by Yahoo Sports. Odunze explained that he and Williams needed to better detail when he should expect the ball over the top and when it will be back-shoulder; when his route would primarily dictate the ball placement and when the defense may be showing Williams something that Odunze’s vantage point didn’t allow.

July practices are the time to learn each other’s tendencies and trying new things.

But as Williams found Scott for yet another deep touchdown in training camp, members of the coaching staff thought to themselves: Look at his ability to extend the play. Look at his grasp of the field.

Earlier in camp, Williams had nailed Scott on a similar deep ball. The read didn’t dictate that, but a coverage mistake created an opportunity. Williams spotted it in time and attacked.

“He had that natural feeling, that natural spatial awareness [that], ‘Hey, there’s a void that shouldn’t have been there based on what the coverage structure might have played out as, but it played out a little different,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “He’s starting to feel the tight-window throws that are a part of the NFL.

“He’s able to find that for a big play.”

The Bears traded 2021 first-round pick Justin Fields this offseason to the Pittsburgh Steelers, clearing the way for Chicago to select Williams first overall.

They gave the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner the keys instantly, and in some ways even sooner, sharing playbook information and terminology before the draft after they determined he would be their selection.

The Bears named Williams as their starter before training camp, eschewing the waiting game that many franchises play with their early picks.

Williams’ sky-high talent ceiling helped ease that decision. So too did the Bears’ perceived floor. While the first overall draft selection historically goes to the NFL’s last-team place, a prior trade with the Carolina Panthers gave the Bears their pick of the litter despite finishing with better records than seven teams and the same as three more.

The result: a far more stable and talent-rich cast surrounding Williams.

“We’re extremely fortunate to be in the situation in which we’re in,” assistant general manager Ian Cunningham told Yahoo Sports. “We had good foresight and tried to maximize the draft position that we had in certain moves. And I think a little bit of it [was] we got lucky, too, right?

“I think that’s fair to say.”

Now they’ll aim to capitalize on the fortune-and-foresight combination, encouraging creativity in plays, including scrambling without hesitation even more than last year, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent told Yahoo Sports. The Bears also want Williams to grow in the pocket and continue to make plays within the rhythm and timing of the offense.

“You can notice in a quarterback if he has happy feet or is he settled in the pocket,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson told Yahoo Sports. “And I think for the most part, he’s really settled in. Of course, if it’s collapsing, he knows how to escape and get out. But I feel like he doesn’t have happy feet and he’s not jittery.

“He’s getting better each and every day, just continue to get out there and get comfortable and with that comfort will come confidence. And once he’s confident, I thought he’ll take over the league for sure.”