How Bears Quarterback Caleb Williams Has Become a Leader in Chicago

During team drills in the Chicago Bears' final mandatory minicamp practice at Halas Hall on Thursday, Caleb Williams connected with Luther Burden III for an explosive passing play. 

The Bears' receiver thought he scored and started celebrating in the end zone, according to reporters at practice, but that wasn't the case, and Williams sprang into action, yelling for the second-year receiver to line up so the offense could spike the ball.

“When you're in practice, you deal with those things," Williams said. "Not knowing if you scored or not, not being in pads. So, just trying to reel him back in. I saw from a distance that two different refs were saying two different things, touchdown on one side, and the other side was not. So, just being able to reel them back in, and get them ready to go score again. I think that happens often and it's just doing my part in better communication or them being able to understand.”

Those quick actions from the third-year quarterback shows the maturation of Williams' leadership over the year. Part of his responsibilities as the starting quarterback of the Bears is to lead his team and do so not only with his words but his actions.

Bears coach Ben Johnson has seen Williams come to embrace that role. 

“I think it comes with the comfort level in terms of knowing what's being asked in terms of the offense," Johnson said. "We're all aligned on what we want a certain route to look like, where we want the ball to be thrown. Routes on air, he can go out there and tell a receiver, ‘Hey, you're missing your depth or expect the ball to be at this spot.’ Whether we're out there in a practice setting or he likes to keep those guys after and work a little bit more after practice. I think he's stepped up and he's continuing to get better every single day. It's just a matter of how many reps can we continue to pile on over the course of training camp. He certainly is a vocal presence within our offense and our entire team.”

The Bears lost some leaders from their team last season, including wide receiver DJ Moore, center Drew Dalman, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Kevin Byard III. Johnson said that losing those veterans creates opportunities for other players. 

Williams becomes one of those candidates to step up, and it's something he has no issue with doing at this point of his career. 

"I think that's a part of growth," Williams said. "Being in a position, you don't just get those nuggets just because of the position. You’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to grow and you’ve got to go win games on Sundays. I've said that before, and that's always my mindset. Win games on Sundays, be the same guy every day. Come in here and work. Do all the things right that I'm supposed to do. If there's extra that I need to do, if it's sitting down and talking to them, if it's on the field and you’ve got to yell and get them back to the huddle or any of those little things. It's whatever it takes to get to the end goal.”