Caleb Williams' up-and-down training camp hit a big upswing during Sunday’s 38-0 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills.
The starting quarterback has endured some admittedly rocky moments in his first camp under Ben Johnson, but on Sunday he looked sharp on two drives, including a 93-yard opening march capped with a zipped pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, who weaved for a 36-yard score.
"He's really been locked in," Johnson said of Williams, via the team’s official website. "Anytime you're a young player, there's usually a couple steps forward and one step back and that's really been the story of his training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about that as we've gone through. He's had some really good practices, and he's had a couple where it's like, 'That isn't good enough, bud.' I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he's stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be to keep pushing in that direction."
In two drives, Williams showcased the sky-high potential of Johnson’s offense. The QB comfortably hit his targets in stride, knew what mismatches to target and was calm in the pocket. Last year, we saw a lot of improv from the QB. Sunday, he played the timing game in Johnson’s offense.
"We didn't have the best field position to get started there," Johnson said. "So I thought those guys did a really nice job of marching it down the field. Caleb made a couple big-time throws to keep that drive going and some explosive plays there. It was good to see."
It's only two preseason drives, but after rough camp performances, it's encouraging to see the second-year QB making strides.
“I think it sets the tone for how we expect ourselves to go out there and play, and go out there and perform,” Williams said. “It was extremely important.”
The QB finished 6 of 10 passing for 107 yards, one touchdown and a 130.0 passer rating.
“I think I had a couple of those (poor) practices throughout camp,” Williams said. “I felt like I took two steps forward, small things that I felt like I got over. Then I took a step back, probably. It’s just being able to keep that mindset, the growth mindset, keep growing, keep getting after it.”
It's foolish to overreact to a few preseason series, but the positive for Chicago is that Williams showed he can be the timing passer Johnson wants. Hitting the right read and being accurate is half the battle. Sunday, he did it consistently.