LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Caleb Williams' growth during the Bears' summer break has been clear to his coaches and teammates during the first two days of training camp.
The rookie quarterback "leveled up" his understanding of the playbook and has been more confident in operating the offense. With five days to go before the pads come on, the Bears hope Williams can take another step forward before the speed ramps up.
"The realistic decision-making, knowing that it’s an unrealistic time of year without the pads and some of the things that we ask our guys to do to protect themselves in those different team settings," offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said after Sunday's practice. "There's certain tempos where you know we’re going at a moderated tempo right here, so it’s not gonna play out realistically for this part of the play, but you have to have to continue it out and bank a real full-speed rep.
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"The more times that he can adjust and adapt to the different tempos that occur this time of year for the different practices and still get the full play so that he has that live rep so that when we do go and put the pads on and we get to game time, he’s started to accumulate as many full-speed mental and physical reps as he can get."
That quick decision-making has been on display during the first two days of training camp, linking up with running backs D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson numerous times. Williams has shown a quick release in the screen game to both running backs and wide receivers.
"I think his ability to change his arm angle, get the ball out quick, adjust to different throws whether they're bubbles, slants, quick game, all that area of the field," Waldron said of Williams' ability in the quick game. "It's something that he demonstrated a high level of ability at in college and something that has been a part of every offense you're a part of and as we get through it and we'll learn our different players' strengths and weaknesses and build the system around our players and what they can do."
CHICAGO BEARS
Waldron, head coach Matt Eberflus, Swift, and wide receiver Keenan Allen have all praised Williams for his growth during the summer.
The Bears' offense has only had two operational issues during the first two days of camp. That's a credit to Williams' work learning the ins and outs of Waldron's scheme so that he could arrive at camp confident and ready to hit the ground running.
"He called the plays way better than he was at OTAs," Allen said of Williams on Saturday. "He felt confident I the plays and knowing what he was doing. There was no timidness from him today."
"He has a better grasp of it," Swift said. "Just from the outside looking in. But he has a real quick mindset. Making smarter plays, I'd say. Quicker plays. You can just tell he's in a better space."
The Bears' detailed plan to develop Williams hasn't hit any speed bumps yet. Confident and "in a better space," Williams has hit the ground running at training camp. He has been accurate and poised while showcasing a variety of arm angles.
Both he and the Bears know the real work is just beginning. So far, the Bears' detailed development plan has yet to encounter any roadblocks.
There's no reason to believe this "unrealistic" period will present a problem for a quarterback laser-focused on exceeding unrealistic expectations.