No matter how enormous the expectations are on Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, and how wholeheartedly he has embraced and escalated them, he might need a little time to get rolling.
That was the case Saturday in a preseason game against the Bengals, and it was well worth the wait.
After stalling the first three possessions, Williams ignited the offense with deep shots downfield near the end of the first half. The best of them was a beautiful ball down the left sideline to Rome Odunze for 45 yards.
Williams dropped back, looked right, then spun to his left for a clear lane. He spotted Odunze with a step on cornerback Josh Newton and sailed it on the run off one leg with perfect placement for an over-the-shoulder catch.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles talked before the draft about sorting quarterbacks into the categories of artists and surgeons, and Williams painted a whimsical abstract piece.
That’s a pass Justin Fields couldn’t make. Neither could Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton, Nick Foles or anyone else the Bears have sent out there in their recent parade of quarterback misadventures.
Williams topped off the drive with a seven-yard scramble for a touchdown on third down before leaving at halftime. It was his most extensive playing time in the preseason and could be his last game action until the Sept. 8 opener against the Titans. The Bears wrap their preseason Thursday at the Chiefs.
Williams completed 6 of 13 passes for 75 yards after a 2-for-6 start while playing against the Bengals’ backups. The Bears went three-and-out on his first three possessions before breaking through for a field goal and a touchdown as he exited with a 10-0 lead.
The Bears have been asking for patience for four decades, especially at quarterback, but Williams’ steady growth since the start of training camp makes it purposeful. It doesn’t have that futile feeling of the past, when the Bears wondered whether things would ever click for their quarterback. Williams’ emergence as a prolific passer increasingly seems inevitable.
He’s getting sharper. He’s sensing pressure more perceptively. He’s decoding defenses.
Williams’ development won’t always be linear. It’ll be chaotic at times, and the Bears will have to live with that. On the play preceding his strike to Odunze, Williams threw one to the left side in which it was unclear who he targeted as the ball flew over Odunze’s head but landed well short of tight end Gerald Everett.
They don’t all have to be masterpieces. Not right away, at least.