\n Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up during training camp in Lake Forest.
\n AP\/July 26, 2026\n <\/p>\n
On the final two plays of Saturday\u2019s practice, Bears<\/a> quarterback Caleb Williams<\/a> gave the coaching staff a bit of a training camp progress report. Williams showed what he can do and the work that\u2019s still left to be done.<\/p>\n During the first play, Williams faced a third-and-10 situation and a 6-point deficit from the defense\u2019s 17-yard line with 24 seconds left in the game. The defense pressured Williams from the snap and forced him to scramble to his right, but Williams kept buying time until he heaved a pass to a wide-open Cole Kmet<\/a> in the end zone.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what you watched at USC,\u201d Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle told reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. \u201cHis ability to evade. The arm talent. … I think it shows his competitiveness. The best thing he does is the unscripted stuff, the two-minute stuff where he\u2019s able to go out and really play and show the competitiveness that makes him who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n That competitiveness got the best of him on the last play of the day.<\/p>\n Williams had another third-and-10, this time at the defense\u2019s 10 with the game tied 10-10 and 13 seconds left in the second quarter. He tried to fit the ball in down the middle to DJ Moore<\/a> at the goal line, but cornerback Nahshon Wright stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it.<\/p>\n \u201cTeaching moment,\u201c Doyle said. \u201dThat\u2019s one of those things. He missed behind with the throw, and you know that was an area we\u2019re going to watch on film. We\u2019ll get it corrected and we won\u2019t make the second mistake twice.\u201d<\/p>\n Doyle\u2019s confidence that the mistake won\u2019t happen again is why he believes Williams has made progress early in practice. Williams has looked more comfortable with the pre-snap process during the first nine practices of camp. The post-snap decision-making has looked better each day too.<\/p>\n Veteran backup quarterback Case Keenum has seen the same growth from Williams. New head coach Ben Johnson<\/a> and his staff have thrown different things at Williams as they try to reset his foundation<\/a>, including working more from under center and handling more motion and shifts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s in the shotgun or under center, I think [Williams\u2019 operation] has picked up tremendously,\u201d Keenum said. \u201cAnd what I have seen from him pre-snap has really progressed into post-snap play being better as well, too. More command of the offense, command of his mechanics, command of the ball placement. Elite ball placement. Great accuracy with some force behind it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been fun to watch the growth there.\u201d<\/p>\n Doyle said there\u2019s not one singular next step in Williams\u2019 development. The Bears finished day nine of 12 installs of Johnson\u2019s offense Saturday with the hope of being done by the end of the week before hosting a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still work left to be done before then. The Bears want Williams to get more comfortable with the game management and the other things he wasn\u2019t asked to do during his rookie season, like working under center.<\/p>\n But Saturday was a good meter for where Williams is and where he needs to go.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single day is really important for him,\u201d Doyle said, \u201cbut he\u2019s headed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n Practice notes<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 final two plays ended a practice where the Bears offense made some strides.<\/p>\n During red zone drills, Williams completed a few passes during the first 11-on-11 session but failed to score a touchdown. Williams rebounded and found Rome Odzune<\/a> for a touchdown on a tight pass that went past a few defenders during the second session.<\/p>\n In 7-on-7 red zone drills, Williams hit rookie tight end Colston Loveland<\/a> and Moore with touchdown passes and found rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III<\/a> for a first down in the middle.<\/p>\n The first team offense didn\u2019t find much success during a two-minute drill toward the end of practice, though. It started the drive from its own 41-yard line trailing by 6 points with 31 seconds left in the game.<\/p>\n Williams didn\u2019t complete 23 of his first 3 passes, and the defense sacked him for a loss of 6 on the other attempt. Facing fourth-and-16, Williams showed off his playmaking ability when he shot a pass to Odzune for a first down.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did a good job of hanging in on the read,\u201d Doyle said of the fourth-down throw. \u201cHe was able to throw the dagger in there behind that defender. We were able to get down and get into a position where we give ourselves a chance to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n With 3 seconds left, Williams couldn\u2019t complete a pass for a touchdown from the opposing 21.<\/p>\n Both Odunze and Loveland made impressive touchdown catches Saturday. Cornerback Kyler Gordon broke through the line of scrimmage during a D\u2019Andre Swift run for a big stop.<\/p>\n Left tackle update<\/p>\n Rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo<\/a> took all of the first-team snaps at left tackle Saturday. Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet split the rest of the left tackle snaps with Kiran Amegadjie not taking part in practice.<\/p>\n Doyle told reporters that the coaching staff would like to eventually narrow the competition down from Trapilo, Jones and Amegadjie to two before making a decision at the spot. But for now, they\u2019ll continue rotating the three in with the first team.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now we\u2019re just working through the rotation,\u201d Doyle said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of football left to play in the preseason. That\u2019s where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n Injury update<\/p>\n Bears offensive guard Jonah Jackson (leg) was back at practice Saturday in a limited fashion.<\/p>\n He stretched with the team but did not take part in any team drills. Jackson, who the Bears traded for over the offseason<\/a>, had missed the previous two practices and was considered day-to-day. Ryan Bates played in place of Jackson at right guard.<\/p>\n