The Caleb Williams File: Why a big passing day could be on tap for the Chicago Bears QB in Week 6

Caleb Williams introduced himself to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, holding his standard game-week news conference at Hanbury Manor shortly after the Chicago Bears finished their walk-through.

The Bears’ voyage this week is, of course, a business trip first and foremost as they look to extend their winning streak to three games. Williams’ progress continues to be closely monitored, and the rookie quarterback should be walking into a favorable matchup Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

As the Bears prepare for that game, here’s the Week 6 entry in The Caleb Williams File.

The buzz

Back in the spring, as Williams worked to get his feet on the ground and acclimate to his new responsibilities as an NFL starting quarterback, he detailed the manner in which he aimed to grow into a leadership role.

“To be a great leader,” Williams said in May, “you have to learn how to follow first.”

In those early stages — through much of the offseason program and even into training camp — Williams was absorbing more often than he was offering input. He was asking questions more than he was giving orders. His first goals were to learn the culture, digest the playbook and become fluent in the details of the new offense he was learning.

Once he got that down? “Then you can start taking the lead,” Williams noted. “Then you can start taking the helm and take the next steps.”

Fast forward to Wednesday, when veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore described a rookie quarterback who has become much more assertive than he was upon his arrival at Halas Hall.

“He has taken those strides that he needs to,” Moore said. “ He has been bossy lately , telling us that we need to be (zeroed in) on the details. But we really do for him to be the best player he needs to be.”

Wait … bossy?

Tracking Caleb Williams: How the Chicago Bears QB is performing in his rookie season

“What I mean by bossy is, if we don’t hit something in practice, he’s going to tell us how we need to run it — this, this, that,” Moore said. “And we’ll just look at him and be like, ‘OK.’ Then when we get out there in the game, you better make sure it works. Because he’s going to have some words for you if it don’t. That’s him being a leader.”

Moore, who is closing in on 7,000 career receiving yards, describes it as a bit of a “little bro-big bro” dynamic. But it also registers as evidence that Williams is taking ownership of the offense and being direct in letting those around him know what he needs. That’s a big step forward for a quarterback heading into his sixth career start.

Such assertiveness comes naturally for Williams. But he also acknowledged Wednesday that he has had to manage his frustrations through the first five games while finding the proper ways to communicate with each of his teammates, “understanding what I need to say to people and how I need to say it and when I need to say it.”

“I think that progress has grown from the first game to now,” Williams added.

He must continue to push the right buttons to produce team success. Over the last two games, as the Bears offense found its footing, that calibration went well.

“Things have been settling down for all of us, I would say,” Williams said. “It’s been a joy from the first game until now to be able to progress, to have constant communication from teammates and from the coaches all together. That’s huge. And I think we’ve been getting better.”

Spotlight play

On a breakout passing day in which Williams had six completions of at least 20 yards on the way to 304 yards and two touchdowns, his playmaking gifts as a runner probably didn’t get the attention they deserved. But make no mistake, Williams’ five scrambles for 34 yards against the Carolina Panthers offered additional evidence of how dangerous he can be on the move.

Three of those runs produced first downs, with Williams using his vision and feel to steer through and around the Panthers defense. Perhaps most attention-grabbing was his 10-yard run near the goal line in the third quarter, a third-and-8 scramble on which Williams came off his first read to the left side of the field, climbed the pocket and then found room to shuffle through the pocket to his right.

With his eyes downfield, Williams watched running back D’Andre Swift convert his check-down route upfield for a scramble drill, which left plenty of open grass in front of Williams to the right.

Williams bolted, angled around free safety Xavier Woods near the line to gain, then took a borderline hit from Nick Scott near the sideline as he bounced out of bounds inside the 5.

Williams never will have the explosive running ability of his predecessor, Justin Fields. But he has shown savvy as a scrambler, gliding as he moves with a throw-first intent. And when it’s time to run, he has shown a strong feel for how to ski that slope.

As Williams grows more comfortable in all facets of playing quarterback in the NFL, that dimension to his game can become a major weapon.

Up next

At a time when Williams’ early development can benefit from a confidence surge, the schedule has been quite friendly recently and remains so this week. For the fourth consecutive game, the Bears will encounter a bottom-tier defense, this time a Jaguars unit that has shown little resistance against the pass.

In a 1-4 start, the Jaguars are allowing a league-worst 287.8 passing yards per game. Opponents have posted a 111.7 passer rating, and they’re one of three teams — along with the Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders — who have yet to record an interception.

That’s a promising nugget for Williams, who has been turnover-free during the Bears winning streak while seeking the sweet spot in the risk-reward calculus of taking shots down the field.

Ryan Nielsen is in his first season as the Jaguars defensive coordinator and last faced the Bears in Week 17 of last season, when his Atlanta Falcons defense, using a heavy volume of man coverage, allowed the Bears to pile up 432 total yards and 37 points in a runaway victory.

Through five games, three quarterbacks have posted 300-yard passing outings against the Jaguars: the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagavailoa (338), the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud (345) and the Indianapolis Colts’ Joe Flacco (359). Josh Allen, meanwhile, threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns in the first half of the Buffalo Bills’ 47-10 thumping of the Jaguars in Week 3.

Third-year pass rusher Travon Walker, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, is the engine of the Jacksonville defense with five sacks already. But if the Bears can neutralize Walker, Williams should quickly be able to find his comfort zone.

The big number: 117.6

Williams’ combined passer rating during the Bears’ two-game winning streak. In home victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Panthers, Williams was 37 of 52 for 461 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 46 rushing yards.

He has a chance to become the second rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to lead the Bears on a winning streak of three games or longer. In 2005, Kyle Orton was under center for eight consecutive victories, propelling the Bears from 1-3 to 9-3 on their way to an NFC North championship.

Final word

After a substandard practice by the offense last Thursday, Williams and several other leaders came together during the walk off the field and agreed a sharper effort would be needed to close the week.

It was a small acknowledgment. But then again, it was a big deal for a Bears team and a developing offense that is looking to raise the bar in 2024.

“We came back the next day locked in and focused and obviously understanding the situation,” Williams said.

With a sharper practice Friday, the Bears built momentum heading into their Week 5 game and ultimately won 36-10 with their most complete offensive performance to date.

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When Williams talks about the evolving personality of the offense, that’s part of what he’s after, hoping to create contagious urgency within the group. That feeds into his own growth mindset. Which is why, even after the 304-yard, two-TD performance, his postgame sentiments were more correction-centered than celebratory.

“We’ve got a lot of room to get better,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of things we need to fix.”

As rapidly as Williams has improved in his on-field contributions through his first five games, his push for progress also resonates. Tight end Cole Kmet has been one of Williams’ most vocal supporters and emphasized after Sunday’s blowout that he’s thoroughly impressed with Williams’ daily approach.

“Obviously he has the talent to be one of the best in the league,” Kmet said. “But he has done a good job of being patient with himself in a certain regard while also having that fire where he feels the heat a little bit — where he knows he needs to get better at certain things.”

That’s a small thing. But then again, it’s a big deal for a Bears team that has playoff aspirations and needs its rookie quarterback to ascend as quickly as possible to get there.

Williams’ ability to, at once, understand the steepness of his learning curve while also embracing the urgency of every moment for his team is notable. During the grind of a grueling rookie season, retaining such balance will be crucial.