Caleb Williams gave Chicago a brief taste of what he has in the tank for the upcoming NFL season.
Williams, the No. 1 NFL draft pick out of USC, got some reps in the Bears’ preseason game on Saturday afternoon, completing 4-of-7 passes for 95 yards while adding 13 rushing yards during his NFL debut.
On Chicago’s first drive on third-and-12, the quarterback launched his first pass with plenty of time and plenty of wind to battle, but D.J. Moore, who was covered well by the Bills, grabbed it for a 12-yard gain and first down to keep the drive going.
Later, while under pressure, the 2022 Heisman winner pushed a no-look flick pass to former Eagles running D’Andre Swift, who sprinted down the field for 42 yards.
Williams launched another dagger to Cole Kmet on the Bears’ second drive of the game.
He rolled out of the pocket to the right and threw across his body to the tight end for a first down.
On another play, Williams scrambled out of the pocket and used his legs to run for a first down — making sure to slide before he could get hit.
But a few mishaps occurred, including a few dropped passes by Kmet and Moore.
Williams was nearly picked off when he threw a pass to a blanketed wideout, but an illegal contact penalty from the Bills wiped out the play entirely and granted the Bears a first down.
On Williams’ final play of the day, he also overthrew fellow rookie Rome Odunze in the end zone on a third down.
Despite it being a preseason game, the Bears could see his arm strength on display, as well as his ability to move out of the pocket.
The Bears haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020 and will be looking to their new franchise quarterback to help lead them to a successful season.
In March, they traded former first-round pick Justin Fields to the Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick, clearing the way for Williams.
During his final season with the Trojans, Williams completed 68.6 percent of his passes, totaling 3,633 yards for 30 touchdowns with five interceptions.
