LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- There were always going to be growing pains for Caleb Williams and the Bears' offense. That's life with a rookie quarterback in the NFL. The ball is going to hit the ground. There will be turnovers, miscommunications, and overthrows.
Ruts are commonplace for rookie signal-callers as they try to find their footing in the NFL.
Williams and the Bears' offense currently find themselves in one.
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On Wednesday, Williams and the Bears' offense struggled mightily. The rookie quarterback completed just two passes in team drills, and the first-team offense went three-and-out during the two-minute period.
Despite the rocky day, the Bears' offensive coaches maintained that Williams remains on track and that the passing game is close to clicking.
That didn't happen Thursday when Williams threw two interceptions in another unproductive day for the offense.
In the first three 11-on-11 periods, Williams went 2-for-4 with a completion to Keenan Allen on a comeback for 9 yards and a checkdown to D'Andre Swift for 9. The completion to Allen was a good ball that Williams delivered while rolling away from pressure to the right. Williams let the ball go before Allen got into his break and put it on the money.
But Williams and the passing attack struggled to find consistent productivity throughout the day.
The fourth team period opened with Williams facing quick pressure from defensive end DeMarcus Walker and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. Williams exited the pocket to the right and tried to whip a ball back across to Allen while off his backfoot, but safety Elijah Hicks easily picked the ball off.
Dominique Robinson then quickly beat Braxton Jones to "sack" Williams. Williams once again faced fast pressure on the next snap and tried to hit tight end Gerald Everett while throwing off his back foot, but the pass fell incomplete.
As they always do, the Bears finished the day with a two-minute period. This one had the offense start on their own 20-yard line with 1:30 left, needing a field goal to tie the game before halftime.
While right guard Ryan Bates participated in most of the 11-on-11 drills, the Bears removed him for this period. They inserted Matt Pryor in between center Coleman Shelton and right tackle Larry Borom. Right tackle Darnell Wright got a handful of team reps before heading to the sideline.
The Bears' defense was again without cornerback Kyler Gordon, defensive end Montez Sweat, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, safety Jaquan Brisker, and defensive tackle Andrew Billings. Billings was a partial participant on Thursday.
The Bears' defense has been throwing a lot of different blitzes at Williams, and they opened the two-minute period by sending a nickel blitz. Cornerback Reddy Steward flew into the backfield, forcing Williams to fire an incomplete pass.
A draw to Swift on second down went nowhere, but Williams hit tight end Cole Kmet for a gain of 10 on third down to move the chains. There was a flag on the play for what appeared to be illegal hands to the face on Borom, but Eberflus had them pick it up.
A 7-yard run from Swift and a 4-yard scramble by Williams gave the Bears' offense a first-and-10 at their own 41.
On first-and-10, Williams dropped back and had Allen open on an in-breaking route to the left, but he airmailed the throw. On the next play, Williams evaded pressure and exited the pocket to the right. The No. 1 overall pick tried to squeeze an off-platform throw to tight end Gerald Everett along the sideline, but safety Kevin Byard broke on the ball and intercepted it to end the drill.
Despite the rickety nature of the passing attack, the Bears remain confident that all the pieces are in place and it will come together by Week 1.
"I mean, Caleb Williams," tight end Marcedes Lewis said when asked what gives him confidence in the direction of the passing game. "You know what I mean? Obviously, with a young quarterback, we’re going to have those moments. In the passing game, it’s about being cohesive and the timing of it all. We’re still working out those kinks.
"Not everyday is going to be beautiful out there, but if you keep working through it come September we will be just fine. We got plenty of time.”
"This kid is going to be special for sure," linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said of Wiliams. "Just seeing that and seeing how he likes to compete. ... Like, they’re definitely set up to do good things. I can see it in him. I can see it in his eyes. I can see it with the way he talks and goes about his business."
CHICAGO BEARS
Here are more notes from Day 15 of camp:
-- Dexter had his leg rolled on during the first block of team drills. He briefly left the drill but eventually returned.
-- Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent had the two best throws of the day. The first was a tight-window completion to Tyler Scott along the right sideline. The second was a deep shot to Nsimba Webster down the sideline that Bagent dropped in a bucket.
-- Cornerback Jaylon Johnson continues to have an outstanding camp. Johnson has gotten the better of Allen and DJ Moore in individual, 7-on-7, and team drills. On Thursday, Johnson had a couple pass breakups against Allen in individual work.
-- The Bears' first-team offensive line for most of practice was (left to right): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Ryan Bates, and Darnell Wright. That should be the starting group Saturday in Buffalo against the Bills.
-- Gordon has now missed more than two weeks with what is described as "tightness." Eberflus said the third-year slot corner is getting close to returning but isn't there yet.
-- Eberflus said Davis suffered a setback Sunday. The right guard returned to do individual work Sunday but left after re-aggravating his muscle strain. Eberflus said Davis is week-to-week.
-- Brisker, Stevenson, Sweat, Roschon Johnson, Terell Smith, Collin Johnson, and long snapper Patrick Scales all missed practice Thursday.
-- Eberflus announced after practice that Williams and the Bears' healthy starters will play a "range of snaps" Saturday in Buffalo against the Bills.