The point of all these Chicago Bears personnel changes on the offensive side of the football since mid-March is to benefit their quarterback, Caleb Williams.
To a large extent, they think they've pulled this off and their efforts are not lost on Williams. Although they've had only limited exposure through a veteran's voluntary minicamp and conditioning work, the week of May 20 starts their organized team activities and then it will all start to take shape on the field.
"He is very eager to do work," said Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, the former Broncos tight ends coach. "He's here after hours. He is really trying to get it right.
"We're giving him scripts. He came in last Saturday, and he's down in there in the indoor trying to walk through it by himself. I think it's really important to him that he gets it right. I think his teammates can feel that. I think his teammates feel a guy that's trying to take the next step. It's been a really positive exposure thus far."
The additions of wide receiver Luther Burden II, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receivers Devin Duvernay and Olamide Zaccheaus have all meant potential target additions for Williams. More playmakers means Williams doesn't need to do it all himself.
The next step in his progression is getting the ball in their hands, and doing it quickly.
"We talked about that together," GM Ryan Poles said. "Anytime you can get the ball in the playmaker's hands quickly and they can make plays after that and your completion percentage goes up, that's really good for a quarterback's confidence. A lot of these guys you can see on our team–in terms of the weapons–they can separate, when you see guys open, that's a lot easier than throwing guys open.
"As you go along, he goes along, you have to do that as well. All these guys are capable of really producing with a ball in their hands. It also puts a lot of stress on the defense where we're looking at good looks, and that plays right into Ben's hands in terms of how he wants to attack each week.”
When Ben Johnson took over as head coach, he said he wanted to build the offense around Williams. Doyle sees this as exactly what they've done as they've devised it.
"I think building it around Bo (Nix) was the biggest thing that we had in Denver, and we’re trying to do the same thing here," Doyle said. :"As we do through OTAs and training camp, we’re going to have a better feel for 'This is actually what the offense looks like.'
"We’re gonna give them a lot and we’re going to narrow it down from there. We’re in the process of doing that right now."
If there's one weapon who could really benefit Williams, it's the first player they drafted this year, 10th overall pick Colston Loveland.
“I think if you look historically, the impact tight ends have had on young quarterbacks, it’s pretty big," Poles said. "Now he has two of them plus the other guys we have on the outside and in the backfield.
"I think it’s going to be really important. And like I said, when you talk about 12-personnel, you have to match that with usually bigger guys. It creates more space in the passing game. I think there is a multiplier effect that he (Loveland) has on the whole group.”
Doyle had his eye on Loveland as the kind of player who could help a quarterback even before his quarterback was Williams and his team was the Bears. He was in Denver as tight ends coach.
"I started watching Colston near the end of last season," Doyle said. "I had a quality control coach that brought his tape and Tyler Warren’s tape, so I got to watch Colston a little bit right at the end of last year and I was like, ‘Man, I would love to be able to coach this guy.’
"It just so happens that I end up here and we end up acquiring him and we’re certainly very excited about the competitiveness, the person. He’s been out there, he’s been really inquisitive and he’s very involved just right from the rip.”
Part of Williams' upcoming offseason will be to get together with his receivers for throwing sessions on their own. Loveland is all in.
"Yeah, that's the plan for sure. Yep," he said.
The Bears started the rookie camp talking about limiting Loveland's work to mostly mental reps and to a large extent they did. However, they did have him on the field at times very briefly. He went through some throwing drills in Saturday's individual part of practice. No heavy lifting or pushing yet for a shoulder that was surgically repaired.
Loveland said he's had some contact with Williams, although not the kind of thing to build a QB-tight end relationship with yet.
Remember the old football saying, a quarterback's best friend is the tight end.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit for sure," Loveland said. "I haven't got to really see him too much in the building because we didn't ever crossed paths. But we've talked for sure and I'm just looking forward to getting more, building that relationship and that connection for sure.”
From all indications, Williams can't wait to get that part of the QB-receiver relationship going within the new offense as well.
