Bears' Caleb Williams doing little to silence chatter about training-camp struggles

Multiple reports about the alleged struggles that second-year Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has endured throughout training-camp practices caused some to say that first-year head coach Ben Johnson should want to play Williams and other starters in Chicago's preseason opener versus the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday. 

Williams did not take the field for that exhibition contest, but it seems as if the 23-year-old could benefit from some additional reps this month. 

"Williams has had moments of greatness in camp, to be sure, but it hasn’t been consistent enough," Bears reporter Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic explained for a piece published on Tuesday. "The accuracy hasn’t been there like it was last summer. He might have had his best practice last Tuesday, and he had some nice moments against the Dolphins (during a joint practice), but the red-zone period wasn’t pretty. There’s still nearly a month to go until the season opener. Williams has the right coach calling plays and an upgraded line in front of him. And he has a few weeks to start stringing together some productive practices to lead into the opener."

Specifically, the previously mentioned Johnson helped Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions become a 2024 Most Valuable Player Award finalist when Johnson was Detroit's offensive coordinator. After the Bears hired Johnson, they bolstered their offensive line by acquiring guard Joe Thuney, fellow guard Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman. 

That said, some coaches recently voiced concerns about Williams' development after he took a league-high 68 sacks as a rookie. One defensive coordinator told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Williams "was the worst we played against" during the 2024 season as it pertains to "terms of processing ability and getting the ball out of his hands." 

It sounds like Williams has remained a work in progress while learning a new offense under Johnson.

"Monday’s practice might have been a low point for the first-team offense," Fishbain added about Chicago's passing attack. "...The ball was on the ground a lot. Williams missed receivers, a few passes went off the hands, and practice ended with Williams and receiver Rome Odunze both looking frustrated after failing to connect. It hasn’t been a smooth camp for the passing offense."

For what it's worth, Johnson has plenty of time to make a final call about whether or not he'll play Williams and other offensive starters in Chicago's preseason home game versus the Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday night. As of Tuesday, debates about Williams' supposed need for preseason snaps made for some interesting sports-talk debates: