Caleb Williams, Bears offense scores vital goal on third day of training camp – NBC Sports Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Day three of Bears training camp saw a standout performance from quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense at the end of practice.

In both of the first two practices of camp, Williams and the first-team offense failed to make any progress during that day’s two-minute situational drill.

But things were different on Monday at Halas Hall.

Williams and the Bears’ offense began the final drill of the game with a three-point lead with a minute and a half remaining, the ball 20 yards from the goal line, and two timeouts.

Williams opened the drill by throwing a dart to wide receiver Rome O’Donnell for a 20-point gain. Not wanting to waste a timeout, Williams quickly directed the offense to the line, organized the offense, and passed the ball to Keenan Allen for a 15-point gain.

With that, the Bears’ offense found itself on the cusp of field goal range.

Williams had unleashed running back Roshon Johnson into the quarterback’s box on the first attempt, but he threw the ball wide. His second throw to Allen was also wide and incomplete, setting up a crucial third attempt. Williams hit Johnson out of the quarterback’s box for a 7-point lead, and coach Matt Eberflus called a timeout.

Although still out of Cairo Santos’ goal, the Bears were forced to go on the attack on their fourth attempt with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Game four was easy for the offense as DJ Moore quickly got a pass and Williams put the ball in the net for a 15-point lead to set up the winning goal for Santos.

The successful two-minute drill was a big point to check early on. However, the main story of the first part of camp is still Williams running an attack that had few problems before the tackle.

“I can see that process getting better every day,” Eberflus said after practice. “The penalties before the tackle have gone down, getting in and out of the huddle has gotten better. That’s because we’re learning the system, learning how to do it and learning how to break the huddle, getting to the huddle line and running our moves and transitions and making our calls. I think that’s been really good.”

“And Caleb is the pinnacle of that. He’s going to continue to improve in that area, and he’s going to continue to progress every day.”

The Bears had been struggling with preseason penalties, but Williams’ confidence and familiarity with the game plan have eased those issues, and the rhythm problems that emerged in June have begun to disappear.

“Everything is sorted out now,” left guard Tevin Jenkins said. “We’re going well and hopefully we can continue to grow from there.”

Here are more notes from day three of training camp:

–Except for the successful two-minute drill, today was an unbalanced day for the offense in 11v11 action.

The highlight of the day was Williams’ pass to O’Donnell that could have been a goal from 35 yards out. Safety Kevin Byard was in the zone and appeared to slow down as the pass came in. Williams also showed his anticipation and arm talent when he threw a perfect pass to Moore on a corner route one period. Williams adjusted the angle of his arm to create the opportunity to make the pass and put it in the right direction.

He still has a long way to go, but the rare talent that made many believe he would be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL continues to seep through.

–On the downside, the Bears defense completely dominated the 11-on-11 division by hounding Williams with constant pressure.

Williams was “sacked” on the first play of the period, but the Bears played, and his pass to Moore was dropped. The pocket quickly collapsed on the second attempt, and Williams sent a pass to Johnson. Monte Sweet beat right back Darnell Wright off the goal line for a quick “sack” on the third play. Williams finished the drill with a layup under pressure and an incomplete pass to Tyler Scott that went high.

–The rotation at the position continued Monday with Ryan Pitts getting first-team reps and Coleman Shelton returning to the second team. That’s expected to change Tuesday.

Eberflus gave no indication of when he thought the central battle would end.

“I think we should let it go,” Eberflus said. “Let it go through the process. I told the guys today. Either you make the team or you get your spot in the pads. It’s hard to evaluate guys when we’re here and we’re not wearing pads. … We’re going to let it happen.”

— Left back Braxton Jones was restricted at the start of camp, but made his first appearance in an 11-on-11 game at camp on Monday. Jones started at left back in the team’s first period before making way for Larry Borum in the rest of the team’s groups.

— Midfielder TJ Edwards also made his first appearance in training camp in an 11-on-11 formation. He was also limited at first.

— Midfielder Gerald Evert trained for the first time Monday after being released from the non-football injury list on Sunday.

— Linebacker Noah Sowell and wide receiver Nsimba Webster did not practice for the second straight time. They are considered daily practice players.

Click here to follow the Under Center podcast.