LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Upon joining the Bears as the No. 1 overall draft pick in late April, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams stated his intention to follow the lead of his veteran teammates. Early on, he planned to listen more than he spoke and take in their guidance.
But in the NFL, players ultimately follow the lead of their starting quarterback – even if it’s a 22-year-old in Williams who's preparing to play in the league for the very first time. And that's what the Bears are doing now as Williams has established trust as time has gone by.
Williams has a natural ability to galvanize those around him, which is why the Bears are so confident in him.
“Just his urge to get better – I can’t say that enough,” veteran running back D’Andre Swift said of Williams. “You can tell he wants to be great. That’s what you look for. There are going to be ups and downs throughout the season. There’s going to be adversity, for sure. But he never gets too high and never gets too low.”
As part of their plan for Williams’ development, the Bears named him their starting quarterback shortly after he was selected. While fellow rookie quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Drake Maye (Patriots) and Bo Nix (Broncos) were thrust into battles for the starting position, Williams had the opportunity to immediate develop in all facets as the starter.
By naming Williams their starting quarterback right away rather than inserting him into that role at an undefined point in the preseason or during the regular season, the Bears gave him the chance to grow comfortable and minimized any outside distractions.
“It’s fairly natural,” general manager Ryan Poles said of Williams' leadership. “It’s not forced. I think that’s one thing, I mean, we’ve all been in teams before, but like there’s people that come into those situations and they try to hard. It’s like, man, it’s awkward. It’s hard to buy into that. Then there’s guys that, they can navigate that so naturally because they’re authentic and it’s real, and that’s what he’s done. Then on top of that, just as a professional player, you have to perform, you have to do some things that guys like, 'OK, there’s something different about you.' And then pair that with a good natural, just good social skills, some cool things happen and then leadership starts to blossom and that’s what you see now.
“I want him to lean on the talent around him and then when the time is right – and that’s an instinctual thing and I think that plays right into him – that’s when you do the special, and balancing that.”
It's likely that Williams will hit the rookie wall at some point. Most first-year players do, but Williams also has the talent and mind to overcome struggles as he learns and grows.
Just as the Bears are looking to Williams, they know it’s important to help him along the way.
“He’ll tell you he’ll never hit the rookie wall, but I’m sure he’ll look back on his rookie season and be like, 'OK, that’s where I started feeling it a little bit,’” tight end Cole Kmet said. “But the main thing is for us to be there for him. And there are things as an individual and as a player that you also just have to work through yourself, but the big thing is just leaning on his teammates.”
Practice squad shuffle
The Bears filled the final two spots on their practice squad Thursday with four new additions while releasing two players.
The Bears officially signed long snapper Scott Daly, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, defensive lineman Sam Roberts and receiver Samori Toure to the practice squad. The team also released defensive back Quindell Johnson and defensive lineman Dashaun Mallory from the practice squad.
Daly is expected to be promoted to the Bears’ active roster for their season opener against the Titans on Sept. 8 as starting long snapper Patrick Scales is set to undergo back surgery.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.