‘Special’ Caleb Williams offers glimpse into Bears’ bright future in preseason debut vs. Bills

‘Special’ Caleb Williams offers glimpse into Bears’ bright future in preseason debut vs. Bills originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

ORCHARD PARK, New York — Rome Odunze and his teammates saw Nsibmba Webster come open immediately. The play-action bootleg slide call from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron worked to perfection, and quarterback Caleb Williams had an easy completion in his grasp.

“We was like, ‘throw it,'” Odunze said after the Bears‘ 33-6 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. “Take it. Take the five.”

But Williams saw something different. The Bears have been repping this concept ad nauseam over the last three weeks, and Williams knew a bigger gain was on the table. He could feel what was about to happen.

Williams hit the corner on the bootleg with speed, pump-faked an oncoming rusher, and then ripped a dart down the sideline to tight end Cole Kmet for a gain of 26.

“That’s him,” Odunze said. “He saw the play develop before we did.”

The off-platform rope to Kmet was the highlight of Williams’ preseason debut. The rookie quarterback went 4-for-7 for 95 yards for a passer rating of 101.8. He also rushed for 13 yards. Williams led the first-team offense on two scoring drives, both of which were field goals. He showed innate pocket poise, elite play-making ability both in and out of structure, rare arm talent and velocity, and the type of unique mind that allows him to be both surgeon and artist as a quarterback.

“Man, woooo, I’m not going to lie now. That boy special. He special,” Odunze said, smiling from ear to ear while looking over at Williams. “I thought he was very calm, cool and collected back there. He was poised. He made plays with feet. Making plays with, of course, his tremendous arm talent.”

Williams and the offense started their day behind the sticks after a holding penalty on right tackle Darnell Wright. But on third-and-12, Williams quickly went through his progressions and delivered a laser to wide receiver DJ Moore to move the sticks.

Waldron dialed up a screen to running back D’Andre Swift on the next play. Williams felt the pressure and saw Swift’s orange gloves out of one eye. With the rusher bearing down, Williams cooly flipped a shovel pass to Swift, who raced 42 yards into Buffalo territory.

“Hell of a job avoiding the pressure and making something happen there,” Swift said after the game.

Williams’ day ended with a miscommunication that had him show off his artistic quarterbacking mind.

Facing a third-and-9 at the Bills’ 18, Williams dropped back and looked right toward Odunze. Williams thought Odunze would take the route vertical based on the coverage but the rookie receiver flattened the route. With a pass rusher coming at him, Williams knew he was out of time, so he lofted the ball toward the back pylon, hoping to put enough air under it for Odunze to adjust and run underneath.

The ball sailed out of bounds, but it was a glimpse into the unique craftsmanship with which Williams plays the position.

It’s the type of paint-outside-the-lines quarterbacking that has everyone who is even remotely near the Bears’ orbit excited for what’s to come.

“I mean, he’s second to none,” Moore said of Williams’ ability to throw on the run.

“That’s the natural God-given ability that he has,” echoed Swift.

Saturday was the first time in 266 days that Williams took the field in a game.

Preseason or not, NFL debuts have rattled even those who eventually became unshakable. It would have been understandable for Williams to have some kinks to work out Saturday. But there were no operational issues. There were no problems with the play calls. Even Williams’ lone mistake — an ill-advised pass from the Bears’ own 7 that was almost picked off — was negated due to an illegal contact penalty.

It was just business as usual for Williams, who continues to raise the bar and expectations.

“Outstanding,” Moore said. “He did good. Those first two drives were amazing. He went out there with a bunch of confidence and he did good.”

“Just not letting the outside noise get in,” Swift said. “Him being comfortable out there and having fun. That was the main thing I wanted to see out there.”

Williams and the Bears’ offense left Buffalo confident in their trajectory and ability. They did so in large part due to the unshakable self-belief that Williams arrived with.

“I wouldn’t say that I was trying to show it and I wouldn’t say that it’s natural,” Williams said. “I would say that it comes from the hard work here and us being here, working together, building this thing together as we go and also the years of work of getting here and now being a Chicago Bear. I think it just comes from a lot of hard work over time and being around these guys. They make it a lot easier for me.”

There has been a growing buzz and electricity around Williams and the Bears since before general manager Ryan Poles officially made the rookie quarterback the new face of his franchise in late April.

Williams arrived in Chicago with talk of becoming immortal. He hasn’t tried to duck or run from the expectations that await him during a heavily-anticipated rookie season. If anything, he has embraced them and steered into the lofty hopes for his career as a Bear.

There were only 18 snaps (20 including penalties) in an exhibition on Saturday. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Preseason success isn’t a predictor. NFL history has seen numerous quarterbacks shine in their unofficial NFL debut only to flop when the bright lights really came on.

Mitchell Trubisky threw for 166 yards and led three scoring drives in his first action in 2017. Flop. Justin Fields went 14-for-20 for 142 yards and a touchdown—Womp womp.

Williams understands Saturday was a minor step forward on his developmental checklist. There’s a lot of work to be done before his career officially launches Sept. 8 at Soldier Field against the Tennessee Titans.

“You have to understand where are and understand what we have and where we are headed,” Williams said. “That’s the most important thing. But you also have to be where your feet are. When you’re out there on the field, when you’re preparing for this game, you’re enjoying it; you’re having fun, and you’re having a blast. We take a step back when we get in tomorrow.

“We take a step back, we go through the tape and then on to the next. Onto the next preseason and then you take it from there and you keep growing, keep growing, keep growing and you just keep counting those days, counting those hours and get after it.”

But what Williams did Saturday in Western New York was give everyone a reason to believe that the hype might be for real. The Bears, a woebegone franchise that has toiled in quarterback hell for 40 years, might finally have a guy. A true elevator who can raise his game when things devolve. One whose rare talent can erase mistakes and make up for deficiencies around him.

Tamp down the excitement? Stop the current of electricity that’s during through the franchise? Lower the bar?

If anything, Williams did the opposite Saturday in his two drives of work. He offered a glimpse of what the Bears’ bright future could look like once the work is complete.

“To get out there and have the confidence that we had out there, it’s only going to get better and we can’t wait,” Williams said.

After getting a sampling on Saturday, neither can anyone else.

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