Bears, QB Caleb Williams look to get 'comfy' with play-calling vs. Rams

While it might take a time-lapse camera to see it, the Bears’ offense actually has progressed. It has gone from no offensive touchdowns in the opener to one the next week, then two in the Week 3 loss to the Colts.

That “slow growth,” as quarterback Caleb Williams referred to it Wednesday, isn’t good enough for a team that set the playoffs as its target. He has been in the building about five months and has had three games to adjust to NFL speed. The Bears’ schedule is front-loaded with beatable opponents and bad defenses..

So everything needs to accelerate before it’s too late to salvage the season.

Williams asserted himself a little more with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron this week to ensure the plays he calls Sunday against the Rams are “comfy” for him and his teammates.

“Make sure we’re running things that work well with us, myself included, and [not] things that we haven’t had too many reps on,” Williams said of his input on game-planning. “Make sure we are running things we are all comfortable with, that are good plays that work well against the other team. But, more importantly, things that we know and feel comfy running.”

Williams, who has had open dialogue with Waldron even before the Bears drafted him No. 1 overall, said he was “a little more in-depth” in his feedback after a third consecutive poor performance by the offense in the 21-16 loss to the Colts.

Despite throwing for 363 yards, the most by a Bear since 2016 and more than Justin Fields has ever put up in a game, they were largely empty calories. Williams threw 52 times, the second-most passes by an NFL quarterback this season, mostly feasting on the Colts’ prevent defense when the Bears trailed by two scores. He threw two touchdown passes but negated that with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

The Rams present a good opportunity for him to be sharper. They’ve allowed the second-most points in the league at 30.3 per game and the second-highest passer rating at 127.3. They’ve also had one of the worst run defenses.

But the Bears won’t be able to take advantage of those weaknesses without major improvement by Williams and those around him.

Coach Matt Eberflus called Williams’ in-game processing speed “a work in progress” Wednesday and said it wasn’t “totally all the way there” after three games. But “it’s getting better,” and the Bears “want to see some big improvement this week.”

Williams concurred, saying, “That’s a cool thing about football: Everything is a work in progress.”

Though it’s too soon to make a ruling on Williams vs. No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels, a fellow Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels’ hot start does provide a gauge for fair expectations of Williams.

Daniels is fourth in the NFL in passer rating at 111.8, well ahead of Williams’ 63.5. He has completed 80.3% of his passes to Williams’ 59.3%. And while Williams has thrown four interceptions, Daniels hasn’t thrown any.

Williams has been off target on a league-high 25.7% of his passes, according to Pro Football Reference. That number, however, was skewed by his brutal debut. His passing-accuracy statistics have improved the last two weeks.

Nonetheless, on Williams’ most egregious turnover against the Colts — a long pass to the left sideline that was easily picked off by cornerback Jaylon Jones in the second quarter — Eberflus saw too much indecision before throwing into a dangerous part of the field. A slight stumble by Jones caused him to step out of bounds after the catch, otherwise it would’ve been a runaway pick-six.

“That’s got to be one hitch and ball out, maybe two hitches,” Eberflus said. “There were a couple more in there, and then it was late to the sideline. He knows you can’t do that.”

Williams and Eberflus met Monday morning — “That’s a pretty lengthy meeting,” Eberflus said — and the coach limited his critique to “broad strokes” and used clips of a few plays to illustrate his points. Then Williams goes to Waldron and other assistant coaches to dig into the details.

The game film surely is a lot messier for Williams than when he dominated at USC. There obviously are a lot of corrections for him to implement. He appears to be receptive. Eberflus said one of his favorite aspects of Williams’ personality is that he’s not a know-it-all, so while he certainly has had some thoughts for Waldron, it’s two-way communication.

“Taking the information and the constant growth throughout the season is really important for me in my career and for the Chicago Bears,” Williams said. “Just being coachable in any way possible. I want to be coached on the details each week.”

Going back to the Williams-Daniels comparison, it’s important to note that while Daniels clearly has outplayed Williams, he also has benefitted from surprisingly good surroundings. Pro Football Focus ranks the Commanders’ offensive line 13th, and they’re fifth in rushing.

It isn’t only one thing that needs to be fixed for Williams to thrive. Waldron needs to tailor his game plan, the offensive line needs to protect, the ground game needs to exist and, with that, Williams needs to play sharper, speedier and smarter.