Declan Doyle on Caleb Williams: "He’s heading in the right direction"

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 3 hours ago

CHICAGO - There are a lot of things to watch during training camp. However, one of those things will certainly be the development of quarterback Caleb Williams.

His rookie year was incredibly rocky, but offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has seen daily improvements from Williams thus far in training camp.

“His process gets better everyday. It’s really one day to the next, he’s putting in the work. He’s doing a good job. We’ve seen very positive results in the pre-snap stuff,” Doyle said. “He’s continuing to progress post-snap and I think he had a pretty good day today. So, I’m really excited about where he’s going. It’s still a journey. (Every) single day is really important for him. But, he’s heading in the right direction.”

A player’s first year in the NFL is arguably the most important of their career and the previous coaching regime botched it royaling for Williams. Between the lack of a clear offensive scheme to the horrible game management decisions, there is not a lot Williams was able to take away from his rookie season.

That is part of why there are a lot of new things Williams is having to learn this year in training camp.

“When we first came in here, playing under center and (being) able to manage the kills and alert system. That stuff’s new to him,” Doyle said. “Obviously, they asked him to do a little bit of it last year. But, we’re really continuing to put that on his plate and I see growth in him everyday.”

What jumped off the tape when he was coming out of college was Williams’ ability to evade the rush and make the unscripted plays. These intangibles are part of what won him the Heisman in his second collegiate season.

Those abilities are finally starting to show themselves in training camp through the various situations the Bears are running in camp, such as the two-minute drills.

“His competitiveness comes out in those two-minute situations. That’s where he has an edge. He’s not going to allow you to sack him. He’s going to evade. He’s going to do things that you can’t really teach at times,” Doyle said. “His ability to evade, the arm talent. We’re in a situation there late in the game that we’re simulating that he’s able to evade the rush. He finds his way outside (to) the right and finds (tight end) Cole Kmet in the back right corner. I think it shows his competitiveness. The best thing he does is the unscripted stuff, the two-minute stuff, where he’s able to go out and really play and show the competitiveness that makes him who he is.”

While developing Williams is paramount to the offense’s success this season, it is also crucial to determine who the backup quarterback will be. For the past two seasons, that person has been Tyson Bagent. However, Chicago signed seasoned veteran Case Keenum in the offseason. Now, Bagent and Keenum are competing for the backup role.

Between the three quarterbacks in the room, Doyle said there is a strong dynamic in the quarterback room.

“I think they all mesh really well together. It’s a group that likes being around each other. The room itself is fun to be in,” Doyle said. “Obviously, Caleb is progressing. Case provides that veteran leadership and he’s (got) skins on the wall. He’s been in a bunch of different systems and he feels like a coach when you’re in there sitting with him. He’s able to provide a lot of perspective and then Tyson is very hungry. Football’s the most important thing. I think it’s a great dynamic. It’s a great room. They’re very open to learning and correcting their mistakes.”