Why Fantasy Football drafters should temper expectations for Caleb Williams and Bears after joint practices
Rome Odunze was the show stealer, but even he shouldn't be counted on for a massive season for the Bears
By
Dave Richard
•
6 min read
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Second-year Bears quarterback Caleb Williams lined up against a vaunted Bills defense in 11-on-11 team drills and got ready to call for the ball with D'Andre Swift behind him, trusted receivers Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus out wide and rookie tight end Colston Loveland lined up next to the left tackle.
But the Bears offensive line flinched. False start.
So they lined up and gave it another shot, albeit five yards further than where they just were.
False start. Yes again.
"Come on, let's go!" someone who sounded a lot like Williams yelled over the groans of Bears fans in attendance on the fields at Halas Hall.
The Bears' first-string offensive line committed, by my count, five false starts and a holding penalty with four would-be sacks allowed over the course of nearly 40 plays (sacks and penalties included) in team drills against the Bills. That doesn't include all the plays Williams was pressured on.
The offensive line, and specifically the left tackle situation, is quite clearly on the mind of first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
"We want one guy to clearly come out and say, this is his job. We haven't gotten that yet from our crew," the rookie coach said before Friday's practice. "I'd love to have just five guys start on the offensive line for all 17 plus games, but that's just not reality ... and if one guy's not performing up to snuff, then we'll find someone else that can."
The Bears have a little bit of time to sort out their offensive tackle situation. They have options.
They don't have options with Caleb Williams. He's their quarterback. And it's not like he's a finished product either.
Williams didn't embarrass himself with any turnovers but rarely challenged downfield while coping with pressure from the Bills' pass rush. His only really deep throw was a last-gasp deep ball tossed with defenders in his face into double coverage to end a drill. Considerably more than half of his throws traveled inside of 10 air yards.
So while this wasn't anywhere near as bad of a showing as some of his other training camp practices, it isn't like Williams met the moment of elevating his game against really good practice competition.
"It always starts with the feet for a quarterback. And if you're not aligned properly from the ground up, then you're going to have inconsistencies with your target," Johnson said when asked what he's been working on regarding Williams' accuracy. " ... I think he's got a very clean he's got a beautiful throwing motion. I mean, that was ingrained into him at a young age, and I think that still shows up. So there's nothing mechanically wrong, but it's just all about the alignment and getting out in front of the target."
Williams is in Year 1 of Johnson's offense but there seem to be issues with his mechanics that could slow down his competency in running the offense. Johnson even admitted that a game plan he'd create for Williams had he faced the Bills in a real game wouldn't be anywhere near as complex as the one he hatched against the Bills last season when he was with the Lions.
Until we see more consistency from Williams, you're better off speculating on him strictly as a No. 2 quarterback. There are others, from Drake Maye to Brock Purdy to Trevor Lawrence and J.J. McCarthy, who offer a little more upside than Williams.
If the line can't protect Williams, and if Williams doesn't take a big step in his development, that talented Bears receiving corps won't have much of a chance to deliver big returns in Fantasy.
There's so much potential, especially with Odunze. As there was last year in minicamp, there's some good chemistry between he and Williams. In this practice alone Odunze scored two of the Bears' three touchdowns in team drills -- one on an over route in the back of the end zone on a great throw by Williams, and again when he caught an underthrown pass about a yard short of the goal-line and rolled in for a score.
Caleb to Rome! pic.twitter.com/eIEbcG1HUq
— Ark (@dabearsark) August 15, 2025
Additionally, Odunze soared for a high ball on a post route for a gain of around 15 yards in 7-on-7 drills and did so again on a deeper corner route but got pushed out of bounds by Bills cornerback Christian Benford. A few short, easy throws were also part of his day.
Everyone knows Moore has plenty of potential too, but he didn't seem to be utilized for his downfield ability in this practice. With the emphasis on Williams completing more passes and not holding the ball too long, Moore seems equipped to be his most reliable short-area target. All four of the targets I recorded Moore having were on short routes -- a shallow crosser, a hitch, an in-breaker and a short out that got tipped at the line of scrimmage. Moore also lined up in the backfield like a running back and had a carry, but without much success.
It's scary to think about Moore as a short-area receiver and not a downfield presence, but that's what his role was in his last eight games of 2024 and he averaged a sick 17.3 PPR points per game in spite of a 5.7 average depth of target. The 8.2 per-game target volume he had during that span figures to slip a little bit this year because of new additions to the offense, but hopefully it's not too bad.
I narrowed the gap in my rankings between Odunze and Moore, lowering the veteran and raising the second-year target. They're just about two rounds apart in PPR, one round apart in non-PPR. Neither one is a top 50 player in either format. The evolving roles and issues at O-line and quarterback are fairly concerning.
Loveland had a highlight-reel catch on a great anticipatory throw by Williams when he placed a laser right where Loveland could bring it in for an easy 20 plus yard gain.
Caleb Williams with a play fake to Kyle Monangai, then hits Colston Loveland for a huge gain.
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) August 16, 2025
Colston is going to be a MONSTER 😤 pic.twitter.com/om2aG3CqEM
But Loveland was noticeably absent for much of the Bears' red zone team drills. He was spotted working the JUGS machine after practice.
I wouldn't blame you for taking Loveland with a top 100 pick, but you should probably have plans to find a second tight end, at least to begin the season. It wouldn't surprise me if he had a rookie year like Dalton Kincaid -- lots of flashes but not enough volume. I might rather draft Kincaid this year.
Here's the skinny on other Bears skill-position players:
- D'Andre Swift is the clear lead running back. I believe he split reps in the first half of practice with rookie Kyle Monangai, then in the second-half with Deion Hankins, a 5-foot-11, 226-pound undrafted rookie from Texas State. Rusher Ian Wheeler mixed in a little bit, too. And runner Roschon Johnson didn't practice. Point is, Swift never had a hammerlock on the reps, which is normal for practice but also expected to be the case for the season. He looked good and remains a good low-end No. 2 running back with potential tied to his role in the passing game.
- Monangai deserves final-round attention, by the way, assuming he's not hurt following this practice. He's a physical back who did some good things in pass protection and in the receiving game against Buffalo.
- Luther Burden spent most of practice running with the second-team offense. He was tough for the Bills' backup cornerbacks to keep tabs on as his slashing running style was on display. A couple of times he made some curious decisions, like stopping his feet and changing directions once he secured a pass. He clearly has the talent, but it's a matter of playing time -- veteran Olamide Zaccheaus spent way more time with the starters and even took a short dig route for a touchdown. If you draft Burden, be prepared to be patient.
There's one last thing: Ben Johnson's offensive play designs are as advertised. He used tons of motions and shifts, varied his personnel (a lot of multi-TE formations), lined up everyone everywhere and really challenged the Bills linebackers and safeties defense to stay disciplined before the snap.
There will be many plays where the Bears outsmart their opponents -- hopefully they do it without beating themselves.
