After exciting training camp, Chicago Bears prepare Caleb Williams for regular season

LAKE FOREST – For parts of training camp, Bears general manager Ryan Poles let himself enjoy the moment and have some fun.

Whether he mimicked rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ throwing motion during practice or enjoyed an impressive play from Williams to one of his talented teammates Poles acquired the last couple of seasons, it didn’t really matter. Poles let himself be a fan and appreciated what he saw in person after watching years’ worth of tape.

“Anytime you draft a player because of what you saw from college and you see those things transfer over to the program, that gets you excited,” Poles told the media at Halas Hall on Wednesday. “If it’s the other way, it scares the crap out of you: Where did that guy go? We haven’t had that with any of our draft picks.”

Now comes the moment of truth. After showing glimpses of what he can become, Williams will make his regular-season debut against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field.

Poles said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen from Williams both on and off the field. He called Williams’ leadership at Halas Hall natural, not forced. Poles also said Williams’ leadership had made it easy for his teammates to buy into Williams because he’s authentic.

“As a professional player, you have to perform, you have to do some things that guys are like, ‘OK, there’s something different about you,’ ” Poles said. “And then pair that with some natural social skills, some cool things happen, leadership starts to blossom.

“That’s what you see now.”

On the field, Poles said he can judge how well a player can make game-winning plays based on their heartbeat. Do the nerves go up in pressure moments or do they remain calm and collected?

Poles has an idea of how Williams will do based on watching tape and his preseason performance and is excited to see it in action during the regular season. He wants the game to slow down for his rookie quarterback and for Williams to go to his neutral whenever he faces pressure.

“I want him to lean on the talent around him, and then when the time is right, that’s an instinctual thing, I think that plays right into him, that’s when you do the special,” Poles said. “Sometimes it’s going to get out of whack one way or another, but always come back to that neutral place where he’s at his best.”

Poles has surrounded Williams with plenty of talent over the past two seasons. He brought in talented wide receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze through trades and drafting. Poles also extended Cole Kmet and signed veteran Gerald Everett to enhance the tight end position and signed D’Andre Swift this offseason to boost the running back room.

“Anytime you draft a player because of what you saw from college and you see those things transfer over to the program, that gets you excited. If it’s the other way, it scares the crap out of you: Where did that guy go? We haven’t had that with any of our draft picks.”

—  Ryan Poles, Bears general manager

The Bears are also prepared to help Williams off the field whenever he struggles adjusting to the NFL. Kmet described a rookie wall when rookies struggle with adjusting to life in the NFL after playing in college.

No matter when Williams hits his wall, Kmet is confident his teammates will have his back.

“We’re going to be here for them to lean on. We’ve got a good, receptive group of veterans, I think,” Kmet said. “I think that’s the luxury of when you’re a rookie and you come into a situation that I think we have, you lean on our guys, you don’t have to do it all yourself in Year 1, which is a big deal.”

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff have already started preparing Williams and the rest of the team for the regular season. The staff mimicked what it usually does on Wednesdays and Thursdays this week and will repeat the process next week when they prepare for the Titans.

According to Eberflus, much of Williams’ success will come down to how he adjusts to an NFL weekly schedule.

“That’s the biggest part you have to do in the NFL, because it happens fast,” Eberflus said. “You’ve got time to reflect a little bit, but then you have to go to the next week, go on to Tuesday and do that normal week, which will be that second week. So I’m excited about that.”

While there’s plenty of excitement surrounding Williams’ debut, Poles wants his rookie quarterback to keep it simple. If he does, there will be plenty of moments to celebrate beyond training camp.

“It’s that same combination of taking what the defense gives, leaning on your talent,” Poles said. “And then when you’re forced to be special, be special.”