Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been struggling so far in training camp.
The 2024 NFL Draft first overall pick’s preparations for his sophomore season with the Bears hasn’t yet gone exactly as planned, with the former USC product having had a disastrous first week in Bears training camp.
3
Williams has struggled in training camp so farCredit: Getty
Caleb Williams threw an interception on the first play of day one, and was scolded by head coach Ben Johnson for lining up improperly during 7-on-7 drills.
Day two wasn’t much better, with the 23-year-old – who has been questioned of late – throwing another pick, this time in their first 11-on-11 session, being picked off by two-time Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds. This prompted Johnson to pull the entire offense off the field, and replaced them with the backups.
On day three, he was intercepted twice, once by Jaquan Brisker, who collected a deflected ball meant for DJ Moore and returned it for the pick-six, before under-throwing the ball, allowing T.J. Edwards to grab it.
The Bears’ official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a video of Edwards’ pick.
First-year head coach Johnson addressed this specific interception in his media availability, and gave a fairly brutal assessment, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, said: “We talk about on the back of the end zone, high-back five throws.
“So if you’re throwing those things, it’s got to be us or nobody and he kept it a little bit too low so T.J. was able to pick that thing off.”
It was also reported that Williams missed eight consecutive throws during 7-on-7 drills.
Dan Orlovsky sends ominous warning to Williams
To make matters worse, former NFL quarterback-turned-ESPN analyst, Dan Orlovsky, sent Williams a worrying warning, boldly stating that he feels it will take years for the quarterback to understand Johnson’s offensive scheme.
“He has to erase a decade’s worth of playing a certain style of football and rebuild the habits,” Orlovsky said on NFL on ESPN. “It is going to take, candidly, years.
“Ben Johnson rocket-shipped with Jared Goff. Goff took four or five years in the NFL in building that footwork part of his game up. And so, it’s not like it’s going to be impossible in October, November, December. It’s just gonna take time.”
3
Johnson has arrived in Chicago with lofty standards for the new seasonCredit: Getty
3
Williams won just five games in 2024Credit: Getty
This comes after Johnson made the admission that he wants his franchise quarterback to complete 70-plus percent of his passes in 2025.
“I told him I would love for him this season to complete 70% of his balls,” Johnson said. “So, you would like to think that over the course of practice that we’re completing 70% or more, or that’s hard to just magically arise in a game.
“It’s a lofty goal, but it’s one we’re going to strive for. Because of that, we’re going to use that as a benchmark and kind of work from there.”
Is Williams running out of time in Chicago? Colin Cowherd thinks so
Although the Bears got off to a bright 4-2 start, they won just one of their 11 games after the bye week, with Williams completing 62.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also throwing six interceptions.
Despite performing behind an albeit poor offensive line and dysfunctional coaching staff, FS1’s Colin Cowherd is not convinced by the already under pressure quarterback’s performances so far in training camp, believing that he has until early October to prove he can be the Bears’ quarterback for the long-term.
“Three days in a row, it’s gotten a little bumpy for Caleb Williams. People say that ‘you can’t take a lot from camp’, but you can see red flags,” Cowherd said on his show, The Herd.
“Disastrous first dates rarely become great 30-year marriages…Caleb Williams was sold as a generational talent. We were all hoping it would be this generation.
“Remember this, Ben Johnson’s first year with Jared Goff, he led the NFL with 29 touchdowns, seven picks, seventh in passer rating and sixth in yards.
“Yet that Lions team isn’t the team it is now, that’s three offseasons ago. The Lions team now, I don’t think is as good offensively as the Bears team right now with their personnel.
Nobody likes to suck! Chicago Bears legend Charles Tillman makes enormous Caleb Williams prediction
“Quarterbacks in 2025 are a little bit like streaming shows in that if you’re not getting me by the second episode early, then I’m out. It used to be three years – give me Eli Manning for three years. Those days are over. Private coaching. Seven on seven camp, you can transfer in high school and college to a better place.
“He’s [Williams] got to be good by late September/early October and that streaming show…by the second episode, if you’re eight or 10 minutes in and you’re like ‘the writing’s bad, it doesn’t work’ then you’re on to another streaming show, or another service.”
Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.