On his preseason debut, Caleb Williams wasted no time showing why Chicago drafted him first overall. On the opening drive, the rookie quarterback linked up with Olamide Zaccheaus for a 36-yard strike that sent Soldier Field faithful watching at home into a frenzy. That early score set the tone as the Bears rolled past Buffalo in a 38-0 preseason blowout.

After sitting out the 24-24 tie with Miami the week before, Williams finally had his first real shot at running Ben Johnson’s offense. And he didn’t look hesitant. He zipped an 18-yard pass to fellow rookie Colston Loveland, then found tight end Cole Kmet for 29 yards to fuel a 92-yard march. The drive ended with Zaccheaus hurdling a defender on third-and-6 and racing to the end zone, proof that the Bears’ offense can move in chunks when Williams is in rhythm.

Still, there’s no ignoring that camp has been a mixed bag for the rookie. Consistency hasn’t always been there, but against Buffalo, he was locked in. Williams connected on six of his first seven attempts and wrapped up with 6 completions on 10 throws for 107 yards before calling it a night. Yet, in the middle of the clean stat line, he admitted one snap still bothers him — a third-down look toward Rome Odunze, who failed to haul in the pass.

After the game, Williams didn’t sugarcoat where the blame belonged. He told reporters, “I think on that play, I think everybody did right except for me. I believe when I play I end up flipping the protection. I believe so, and I didn’t have full, full belief. And then you know that’s that’s what you know comes down to they had a blitzer come And in an open gap in the back picked him up perfectly did his you know did his job And I didn’t I didn’t stand there deliver you know the right ball Took a couple too many steps.”

He then added, “You know, retreating back trying to gain a little-bit of ground instead of standing there and delivering the ball so everybody did their job all ten guys except for me, and that’s delivering the ball to Rome first down.” Owning up like that isn’t something every rookie does, but it shows where his focus is.

However, one hiccup doesn’t erase weeks of chemistry. Williams and Odunze have been almost impressive together in camp, carving up defenders in red-zone drills and making chunk plays look routine. Just last Friday, the pair hooked up for two touchdowns during joint practice, proving that this connection isn’t just hype — it’s real.

And according to DaWindyCity Productions, “Caleb has developed really strong chemistry with Odunze this camp.” With that foundation, those third-down mistakes should fade fast. Better yet, Williams doesn’t have to defend himself alone, because Ben Johnson stepped in to back his rookie signal-caller when questions started flying.

Ben Johnson puts his trust in Caleb Williams

On the same post-game conference, Johnson made it clear that Caleb Williams isn’t just another rookie he’s breaking in. Instead, he gave him a genuine nod for his play under pressure. “Caleb made a couple big-time throws, in my opinion, to keep that drive going and get some explosive plays there. So, it was good. It was good to see,” Johnson said. He didn’t stop there either, sliding in praise for his line—an area that has been more headache than highlight for him this offseason.

“Our linebackers are smart players that are going to be communicating and have good eye discipline. And then up front, these guys are striking blocks in the front game and they’re getting after the pass in the pass game. So we see it all come together, the fundamentals, the technique, and then really the aggression is the word I like to use to describe it.”

Meanwhile, Williams himself has been a story of contrast. Just weeks ago, those camp clips told a different tale—overthrows, misfires, and whispers about “hero ball.” Johnson boiled it down to one thing: mechanics. “It always starts with the feet. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. For a quarterback, it starts from the ground up,” he reminded. Even with 55–70% camp hiccups, Johnson doubled down on Williams’ upside, calling his motion “beautiful” and chalking it up to brutal but necessary install work.

After all, that Buffalo performance looked like a pivot. Williams’ touchdown wasn’t improvisation; it was structure executed with timing and trust. No wonder Bears President Kevin Warren beamed, “We are absolutely ecstatic tonight… grateful for the relationship [Johnson] and Ryan [Poles] have developed.”

So now, the question isn’t if Williams can adjust, but how quickly he climbs.