RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesCHICAGO — Caleb Williams is ready to move.
After the first practice of training camp Wednesday, the Chicago Bears quarterback said he lost 10 to 15 pounds over the offseason. The goal is to be more agile both inside the pocket and when he breaks loose.
“I’m excited about that, to be able to move a little bit better, be smoother,” Williams said.
Since entering the NFL as the No. 1 draft pick in 2024, Williams always has been a thicker quarterback. The team currently lists him at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, but teams don’t update those figures on their official rosters very often. Williams also was listed at 226 pounds last season. As a rookie in 2024, the Bears listed him at 215.
Williams said the biggest thing that helped him drop weight was organizing a schedule. He spent plenty of time training in the offseason, but he also made sure to schedule relaxation time. Focusing on his diet and the timing of his meals was a big factor.
“Eating at certain times,” Williams said. “Going to bed and not eating after 7. Just eating consistently, eating well.”
Mobility always has been a big part of Williams’ game. He’s not a running quarterback in the mold of Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson, but he does run when he needs to. His 388 rushing yards last season ranked seventh among quarterbacks. He scored 27 rushing touchdowns over three seasons of college football.
But his game is less about pure running and more about using his mobility to avoid would-be tacklers. When Williams scrambles, usually he’s still looking to throw.
Look no further than the fourth-and-8 completion he made in the playoff comeback against the Green Bay Packers in January. With his team trailing in the fourth quarter and the game essentially on the line, Williams escaped the pocket and jumped to avoid a defender’s grasping arm, then connected with wide receiver Rome Odunze for a first down. Still photos showed a jump reminiscent of the Michael Jordan Jumpman logo.
A less mobile quarterback never would have made that play. Williams knows his mobility is one of his greatest assets.
“There’s really nothing, I don’t think, that he can’t do,” coach Ben Johnson said. “The elite arm talent, playmaking ability, escapability — you know, he has his legs that he can hurt a defense with. I mean, there’s just so many layers to who he is as a player.”
Johnson said he wants to see more consistency throughout games. Even when the Bears were winning last season and pulling off miraculous comebacks, there were stretches early in games when Williams and the offense would get in a rut.
“You see flashes of it,” Johnson said, “and yet we’re trying to tap into that where we’re consistently delivering the ball where it needs to go.”
Williams continued to work over the offseason with private quarterback coach Will Hewlett and sports performance coach Tom Gormley, both of whom he has worked with for several years.
With an increased understanding of Johnson’s offense and what the coach needs from his quarterback, Williams honed his private workouts to fit the Bears offense. Hewlett and Gormley then helped him through some of the minutiae of the position when a throw was off the mark or the timing wasn’t quite right.
“So if I miss a ball inside, why did I miss?” Williams said. “Figuring out that feeling so that if it shows up in a game, practice, it’s me being able to adjust and correct.”
Williams has graduated from the basics of Johnson’s offense. Johnson noted that he’s happy with Williams’ understanding of all the things that have to happen before the snap.
The real growth potential is after the snap. Johnson mentioned coverage recognition and anticipation.
A 70% completion mark always will be the goal, Johnson said, but the Bears aren’t necessarily expecting Williams to hit that mark this year. The New England Patriots’ Drake Maye was the only quarterback to top that mark last season.
“You’re going to have a darn good offense if your quarterback’s completed 70 percent of the balls thrown,” Johnson said.
Williams’ 58.1% completion rate ranked 32nd among 33 qualified quarterbacks last season, according to Pro Football Reference. That was down from 62.5% as a rookie and 68.6% during his final college season at USC.
It’s the little things that will help him improve in that area. Familiarity with the system helps too.
“Part of it is just confidence in the offense,” Williams said. “In the sense of knowing where I’m supposed to go with the ball, not second-guessing, being decisive, eyes being in the right spot.”
And when things break down, Williams believes his slimmer frame will help him avoid trouble. As a rookie, Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times. For a variety of reasons, including significant improvement on the offensive line, that number dropped to 24 sacks last season.
He proved tough to bring down, and the goal is to be even more slippery in 2026.
“We all know that he has that ability to put on that Superman cape when the time calls for it,” Johnson said.
And Superman just got a little more agile.
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