Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is currently working on mastering the snap count, an aspect that coach Matt Eberflus is keen on seeing improvement in during the team's upcoming full-squad practices.
The Bears head into the 2024 season with several key additions to their roster, including Keenan Allen, D'Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, Kevin Byard, and Rome Odunze. However, the most significant move was the transition from Justin Fields to Caleb Williams. Williams, selected first overall from USC, is now the Bears' new franchise quarterback.
Caleb Williams has much to learn
The Bears are currently in mandatory minicamps from June 4-6, which brings the entire team together in the facility. These practices are crucial for rookies, especially quarterback Caleb Williams, as they provide valuable reps and opportunities to learn the system.
Eberflus shared his observations with reporters after practice, focusing on an interception thrown by Williams.
“He took a hitch and the ball should have come out,” Eberflus noted (via Courtney Cronin of ESPN).
“Then he took two hitches and (the ball) was late over the middle. That’s always dangerous when you do that. But that’s the learning experience in the process a young quarterback has to go through,” said the Bears tactician.
On Wednesday, Williams repeated a similar mistake, resulting in another turnover during a 7-on-7 drill with a pass over the middle. Veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds intercepted the pass, showcasing his ability to read the quarterback's eyes and reacting quickly to pick off the throw intended for receiver Freddie Swain.
The Bears coach also responded with an appropriate early-June shrug.
“The process and exposure and experimentation of the quarterback. And that ultimately leads to that whole evolution of what he feels he can and cannot do,” the Bears head coach said via ESPN.
Cadence as a weapon for the Chicago Bears
Williams' adjustment from predominantly playing in the shotgun formation at Oklahoma and USC to taking snaps from under center mirrors the challenges that many rookie quarterbacks face when transitioning from college football to the NFL.
Certainly, even the smallest details matter, such as the seemingly straightforward task of snapping the ball. Williams, who primarily worked without a cadence in college, is now grappling with these challenges alongside the rest of the Bears offense during OTA practices.
The No. 1 draft pick is in the process of learning a new offense, familiarizing himself with the skill sets of his new teammates, and refining his cadence as a tool at the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Matt Eberflus emphasized on Tuesday that this is an area the team needs to improve upon.
“Something we still have to work on, as you guys saw today, is the cadence,”Eberflus said, via NBCSportsChicago.com.
“We saw guys jump offsides — I think there were half a dozen of the time — so that’s something that needs to be worked out. That is something that needs to be addressed, and worked on, and improved on here in the next couple of days.”
“We’d like to get that cleaned up. It’s the whole team. The whole offensive unit. We’ve got to get on the same page to make sure we’re [not committing] pre-snap penalties, not getting behind the sticks. You guys saw today that we were first-and-15, second-and-15. It’s hard to operate that way.”
Meanwhile, Williams remains in the early stages of his NFL education, aiming to hasten toward a significant breakthrough.
“We’re just doing a really good job of getting experience, getting him exposure,” Eberflus said.
