Caleb Williams, Bears Show What They Still Need To Fix To Become True Contenders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, what happened during Thursday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans is symbolic of what needs to change in 2026. Chicago’s offense looked efficient at the start of team drills, with Williams leading the way. The third-year Bears quarterback hit wide receiver Rome Odunze perfectly in stride out of a crossing route. He stepped up in the pocket away from pressure and threw a nifty shuffle pass to tight end Cole Kmet. He completed a tight window throw outside the numbers. Williams hit Kmet for a wide open touchdown on another play. After the halfway point of practice, though, the tide shifted. The Bears’ starting offense went nowhere in the first team period after a break. Williams rolled to his left and fired a jump pass that was nearly picked off. He was sacked the next play. A couple deep passes sailed incomplete. The Bears pulled off a nice trick play at one point — it ended with Williams hitting tight end Colston Loveland on a go route down the left sideline — but a theme in the second half of practice was the former No. 1 overall pick running around a lot. Williams described one period where Titans defenders were coming “down the middle, right side, left side.” “We have to be able to start like that throughout the year. And then when we come out from halftime, we have to come out better than I’d say we did today,” Williams said. What made the Bears so magical last season was their ability to pull off the spectacular late in games; their seven victories after trailing in the final two minutes of regulation are the most since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger. The other way of looking at it: They didn’t play well at the start of games. Putting four quarters together is the next step for the reigning NFC North champions, who aspire to be in the Super Bowl conversation this season. Whether that comes to fruition or not depends, of course, on the talented Williams. Coach Ben Johnson has high expectations for him. The goal is for Williams, who established himself as one of the NFL’s most clutch players last season, to get his completion rate closer to 70% (he was at a subpar 58.1% in 2025) while preserving his explosive play ability. Johnson said earlier this month that Williams has taken “complete control” of the offense, so he’s at least headed in the right direction. But Johnson wants to see Williams continue to advance in his coverage recognition. “At times, you have five [receivers] going out in a concept,” Williams explained. “Portions of the concept are specific to certain coverages or certain looks. Just not necessarily going one, two, three, four, five [reads]. It’s, ‘OK, we can skip this route because of this coverage or this post-high or they’re split field’ and things like that. It’s just being able to process those things faster. “If it’s a common concept that everybody runs, I write it down consistently,” he continued. “I write down what we like versus [the concept] and what we don’t like every time the play is put in and installed. I’m getting constant mental reps of when I see a coverage or when I see this, it’s, ‘OK, we don’t like it versus this. Let’s get onto the backside of the concept’ or another route we do like in that concept.” Other Observations From Bears-Titans Joint Practice: After a quiet showing in the preseason, including going catch-less in the first two games, the former Ohio State star receiver made his presence felt Thursday against the Bears. He scored at least two touchdowns and made a big-time back-shoulder catch down the right sideline. Tate also showed his growing chemistry with quarterback Cam Ward when he came back to the ball in a scramble drill situation for a reception. The first-round rookie was a primary target of Ward’s on the day. “He showed why he was that pick,” Ward said. The veteran running back was giving the Titans’ defense fits, particularly early in practice, when he went untouched a number of times around the line of scrimmage and scored a touchdown in red-zone work. Chicago’s leading rusher from a year ago, Swift could have a massive workload early in the season with No. 2 running back Kyle Monangai (knee) being week-to-week. Johnson loves to run the ball — the Bears had the No. 3 rushing attack in 2025 — so as much attention as ascending pass-catchers Odunze, Loveland and Luther Burden III will get, the success of Swift will be paramount for the offense. After years of poor offensive line play, the Titans actually look solid up front. Superb run-blocking led to a long touchdown run Thursday from tailback Tony Pollard. Tennessee had success on the ground against the defending champion Seahawks defense in a joint practice last week as well. The pass protection has been solid, too. From left to right, the Titans’ starting O-line is left tackle Dan Moore Jr., left guard Peter Skoronski, center Austin Schlottman, right guard Fernando Carmona and JC Latham. Skoronski recently became the league’s highest-paid guard. Players to Watch The veteran defensive back picked off Ward during team drills. The Bears’ secondary is currently facing some uncertainty — free-agent signee Coby Bryant will be out for months following knee surgery, while nickelback Kyler Gordon (calf) has been on the physically unable to perform list since training camp — so Chicago needs backups to step up in the defensive backfield. Lewis, a seventh-year pro, is currently in line to be a starter due to the injuries. Not a well-known name nationally, Gray is poised to have a breakout Year 3. The 2024 fourth-round pick ranked fourth in the NFL last season in combined tackles (164), including second in solo tackles (97), and has flashed in coverage. Playing behind a talented defensive line that Titans coach Robert Saleh has invested heavily in should open playmaking opportunities for Gray. Quote Of The Day “He’s like a modern day — I don’t want to compare the two — but like Russell Wilson. When it got to the fourth quarter, you better be up three scores. There’s no lead safe with Caleb. He’s an unbelievable quarterback. He’s elite off-schedule. … And the amount of growth he’s had in the last year and a half has been amazing. Credit to the coaching staff and all the things they do with him. But he’s a stud in every way.” — Titans coach Robert Saleh on Bears QB Caleb Williams