Williams improves, expects Bears offense to be 'pretty damn good'

LAKE FOREST, Ill. --Caleb Williams has spent the past three weeks of practice getting a feel for the possibilities of the Chicago Bears' offense, and he left mandatory minicamp Thursday with one prevailing thought.

"Right now we're working with our head down and we're building," Williams said. "So just having that moment with myself, I do it every day. I sit there and I say, 'We're going to be pretty damn good.'"

Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, experienced ups and downs throughout the Bears' three-day minicamp, but coach Matt Eberflus said he saw progress with how Williams handled Thursday's red zone period compared to last week. The rookie quarterback also improved the way he lined up formations and changed protections, and he displayed an understanding of various pass concepts.

"I think that Caleb is a talent," Eberflus said. "A very good talent. His game will go to where it needs to be."

Williams praised his teammates for being "graceful and encouraging" to him throughout practices by uplifting him on days when the offense excelled and offering words of encouragement when the unit struggled.

The quarterback noted his struggles with perfecting the cadence, which Eberflus said earlier in the week he wanted the entire offense to improve upon before dismissing veteran players until training camp.

By the end of minicamp, Williams said he felt he improved in not being too loud or too quiet when vocalizing the snap count and in showing his ability to throw with anticipation compared to earlier in the week.

"I didn't come in necessarily with the expectation to be and seem like a 13-year vet," Williams said. "I came in to work, to work my tail off, show the guys that I'm here, I'm working my tail off, I'm progressing and trying not to make the same mistake again. That's the biggest thing, day in and day out, is trying not to make the same mistake over and over and learn from them."

Bears rookies will wrap up spring workouts next week with another three days of OTA practices before breaking for the summer. In the coming weeks, Chicago's front office will work to get both of the team's first-round picks -- Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze -- under contract.

The value of Williams' four-year contract is an estimated $39.5 million with a $25.5 million signing bonus. Williams is not represented by an agent and is deferring to a team of lawyers and advisors to get the deal done.

"I'm not handling that," Williams said. "I've been focused on these past three days of minicamp, the OTAs before that and rookie camp before that. ... I have lawyers and attorneys to handle things like that so I can be free-minded on the field, enjoying coming into work every day and working my tail off."