Why Ryan Poles says improvement is apparent in Caleb Williams

"When you se a guy like Josh Allen and his completion percentage and accuracy improve like it did, it gives you hope in development in really everyone on your roster," Poles told Mike Mulligan and Ruthie Polinsky in for David Haugh. "I'm looking at Nahshon Wright, I'm looking at Theo Benedet on the offensive line, we're lo oking at (defensive ends) Dom (Robinson) and (Austin) Booker. 

"It's really been cool to see this staff lean into these guys and see growth in a very short period of time."

Of course, this also includes quarterback Caleb Williams.

"For a young quarterback, you can see his progress that he's made throughout training camp and really over the last two years night and day just in terms of the operation and there's still room to improve," Poles aid. "But he's taken ownership of that, be ing open to being coached hard. And he continues to get better."

The improvement hasn't been linear, according to Poles. Johnson had said it wouldn't be.

Williams is starting Sunday and Poles said it would be presumptuous to think he'll be done for the preseason after that game simply because the next game is only five days after a Sunday night game.

"I would not assume that this would be the last one either," Poles said. "I think he's (Johnson) going to take a look and see how practice goes, how the (Bills) game goes and kind of determine how we're going to approach the third game."

Poles had no problem with Johnson keeping his starters sidelined in the first preseason game.

"He's been very thoughtful with that and has had a great plan that I absolutely agree with," Poles said.

The Williams analysis isn't quite the same thing Sean Payton said to Seth Wickersham about the Bears QB n the coming book on Williams. The Broncos coach had criticized Williams' ability to read defenses quickly and react, among other things, when he assessed the 2024 draft.

If this ever was a problem, Poles said it's something he believes good coaching can fix.

"We feel like the more reps that you get at it and the big picture understanding of what you're trying to accomplish within the scheme allows you then to start speeding that up," Poles said. "The more reps that you get, the more opportunities that you get, you should see that improvement."

Friday's practice and the game Sunday should let them know a little more about Williams and whether Payton was right about their quarterback, but the positive for the Bears is their QB is coming into all of it off one of his best practices of traning camp on Thursday.