Bears' Caleb Williams quiets detractors during dazzling debut: 4 takeaways

Forget the panic button, where are the pom poms?

After a concerning - alarming? - first training camp under new head coach Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears' quarterback quieted his critics Sunday night with a dazzling debut at an energized Soldier Field. It was just two days ago that fans were raising eyebrows and red flags after a woeful joint practice against the Buffalo Bills.

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But in his first live preseason snaps in Johnson's offense, Williams looked every bit the part of No. 1 overall drat pick with superstar potential. The top four takeaways after Caleb's successful night.

4. PICTURE PERFECT: No doubt Johnson would like to bottle up the game's first series and save it for the regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings in three weeks. Williams completed his first four passes in an offense that has humming on all cylinders.

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3. TIGHT END TIME: Lining up under center, Williams' first play was a waggle rollout and a perfect pass to first-round draft Colston Loveland for an 8-yard gain. In the shogun, he then zinged a bullet down the seam to a streaking Cole Kmet for 29 yards. Then he completed another pass to Loveland for 18 yards. Seemingly out of nowhere, Williams is on the exact same page as his top two tight ends.

MORE: Woeful practice against Bills has NFL analyst panicked about Bears' QB Caleb Williams

2. ON-TIME, ON-TARGET: As good as the results, even more promising might have been Caleb's rhythm. Last year he was often flustered and hesistant, holding the ball too long in taking a league-high 68 sacks. But against the Bills he made quick reads and when his back foot hit on his drop - boom - the ball was out. On-time. On-target. His pass to Olamide Zaccheaus hit the receiver perfectly in stride, allowing him to scoot 36 yards for a touchdown. Even on Chicago's second drive Williams threw a nice ball on third down receiver Rome Odunze, but he couldn't come up with a relatively easy diving catch.

1. DREAM DRIVE: With all eyes and immense pressure on him, Williams delivered. Big time. He drove the Bears 92 yards on seven plays on the first drive of the game, overcoming a holding penalty along the way. Caleb went 5 of 6 for 97 yards to stake Chicago to a 7-0 lead. Bears fans couldn't have asked for more.

Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

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