Johnson praises Williams: Bears QB 'locked in'

CHICAGO -- After the Bears were one of three teams to not score a touchdown on their opening offensive possession in 2024, quarterback Caleb Williams led the first-team offense on a seven-play opening drive Sunday night that went 92 yards for a TD and served as a statement about the identity Chicago is trying to create.

"I think it sets a tone for us as a team," Williams, playing his first game of the preseason, said after the Bears' 38-0 demolition of a Buffalo Bills team that sat most of its starters. "I think it sets a tone for how we expect ourselves to play, go out there, perform. So yeah, it was extremely important."

The Bears started with the ball after the Bills won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. After a mishap by wide receiver Tyler Scott while returning the opening kickoff put the Bears at their own 8-yard line, Williams operated a near four-minute drive that culminated with him finding wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus for a 36-yard touchdown pass.

The former No. 1 pick took the field for the first time in the preseason Sunday after he and most of the starters sat out last week's 24-24 tie with the Miami Dolphins. Williams delivered first-down throws to tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, leaned on his established rapport with wide receiver DJ Moore, and demonstrated his budding chemistry with Zaccheaus on a drive where he connected with all four pass-catchers.

In 13 snaps that spanned two drives, Williams was 6-for-10 for 107 yards, a touchdown and a 103.6 passer rating. His preseason debut under coach Ben Johnson comes after his best stretch of training camp, which included a joint practice with the Bills on Friday.

"He's really been locked in," Johnson said. "Anytime you're a young player, there's usually a couple of steps forward and one step back. And that's really been the story of this training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about it as we've gone through. And he's had some really good practices, and he's had a couple where, it's not good enough.

"I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he's stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be keep pushing that direction."

Williams acknowledged those same challenges.

"I think I had a couple of those practices throughout training camp where I feel like I took two steps forward," Williams said. "Maybe a bad practice or small things that I feel like I got over and then I took a step back. So, it's just being able to keep that mindset. The growth mindset, the idea that it's an understanding of that -- keep growing and keep after it and keep leading these guys."

While Friday's practice was marred by multiple false starts by the offensive line, which is still in search of its starting left tackle, Williams put together a solid outing against the Bills' first-team defense and did not throw an interception. He was 9-for-10 in seven-on-seven drills and found wide receiver Rome Odunze for back-to-back touchdowns during a red zone period. Williams connected with Zaccheaus over the middle on third down during an 11-on-11 period that the receiver took 45 yards for a touchdown.

During Wednesday's and Thursday's practices, Williams shined in the two-minute drill while continuing to hone his connection with Odunze and Zaccheaus.

Those momentum-building moments, coupled with the struggles the quarterback has been able to overcome, have shaped his perspective on the challenges of learning a brand-new offense.

"To a month ago, I think I've grown a lot," Williams said. "Now, my mindset is to keep growing. It's been my mindset since I've been a little child, to keep growing. Where I see myself, I think the idea is to be able to handle every single thing that I can and everything that Ben says I should be able to handle. If that's handling everything at the line, handling everything and taking things off of other people's plates, that's what it is. Being able to do that consistently over the next couple of years is important for me."

Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent took over for Williams on the Bears' third drive and played until late in the third quarter. Bagent completed 13 of his 22 pass attempts for 196 yards and a touchdown. Chicago outgained Buffalo by 348 yards Sunday night, with offensive coordinator Declan Doyle taking over playcalling duties from Johnson for the second half.