A laughing matter? Bears' Caleb Williams explains viral video of him struggling

Chicago Bears fans and some local media personalities sounded alarms after a recent video showing quarterback Caleb Williams emotionally reacting to missing some throws during an individual drill went viral. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Williams laughed off reactions to the clip that generated headlines ahead of Chicago's preseason opener versus the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

"I look at it and I laugh at 'em, as always," Williams said, as shared by Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "We're out here working. We're getting after it. We're competing, and that's one of the drills in which we were competing."

Earlier in the week, Bears general manager Ryan Poles joked that he "didn't know" the video sparked "a national crisis" about Williams' supposed struggles as the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft works to learn the offense being installed by new head coach Ben Johnson. On Thursday, Williams insisted that outsiders misunderstood his reaction to a handful of errant throws he made during a drill.

"We actually have a rule in our QB room ... if you miss the board, you have to do something funny or something like that," Williams explained. "We've had some competition in those areas, also. It's something fun, something competitive. I was competing and I missed It, and it was fake anger that I had, that I showed. That's what, you're competing with your friends, and something like that happens, you give maybe a little few words that you may say, choice words after losing to your buddies."

Williams entered the league as an advertised franchise savior but was then unable to prevent offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus from losing their jobs last season as the Bears went from 4-2 to 5-12. Per Pro Football Reference, Williams ended his rookie campaign ranked 31st in the NFL among qualified players with a 46.7 adjusted QBR and a 62.5% completion percentage. While he recorded 20 touchdown passes with six interceptions over 17 starts, he also took a league-high 68 sacks.

The Bears and Dolphins will participate in a joint practice on Friday ahead of Sunday's contest. It was unclear as of Friday morning if Williams will see any action at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET kickoff).