Caleb Williams ‘pretty far ahead’ in his development at Bears training camp

The present and future of the Chicago Bears hinges on quarterback Caleb Williams, who was selected with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. General manager Ryan Poles has built the Bears roster centered around Williams, so if he fails? Yeah, uh, not good.

That’s why it is good to read the latest update from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who reported that Williams is ahead of schedule nearly two weeks into his first NFL training camp.

“Caleb Williams has had the standard rookie ups and downs, but is pretty far ahead at this point, in large part because of the plan the Chicago Bears laid out for him,” Breer wrote. “They put in formations, cadence and terminology with him before the draft—in their allotted three one-hour Zoom sessions—and Williams used the 40 days between OTAs and camp (we’ll have more on that soon on the website) effectively. He’s the starter, and I’d bet he’ll play well as a rookie.”

(Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)

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Williams will begin his pro career with as good a supporting cast as any rookie quarterback in NFL history. The wide receiver trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze is as good as it gets. He has a pair of pass-catching tight ends in Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, and his running back, D’Andre Swift, can do it all. Even the offensive line is, at worst, competent.

It certainly feels like Williams’ immediate success or failure will depend on him. He’ll have no excuses, and at this point, he doesn’t need any. He’s doing just fine.