Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, In poor health. — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has confronted ginormous expectations throughout his soccer profession, from the time he gained the Heisman Trophy at USC to being drafted No. 1 in 2024.
Falling in need of the targets he set for himself and the group through the Bears' 5-12 end final season weighed on the quarterback. That performed a task in Williams, 23, publicly declaring a number of ambitions he has for himself in 2025, together with throwing for 4,000 yards whereas finishing 70% of his passes.
However even amid such lofty targets and the expectation that he'll become Chicago's franchise quarterback, Williams mentioned he would not really feel any exterior weight to ship on these guarantees.
“Stress's not a factor for me,” Williams mentioned on ESPN 1000's “Waddle & Silvy” present. “I do not consider it that method.
“It is not my job to care what the skin noise is and issues like that. My job is maintain all the things in right here and go on the market and play. I do know we did not win as many video games as we needed to final 12 months, however I did not go 20 [touchdowns] and 20 interceptions and issues like that. So, you recognize, take it for what you need, however no stress is prevalent; stress is a privilege, however you recognize the scenario that I am at. I do not suppose I've stress.”
Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as a rookie, which was the fifth-best single-season output ever by a Bears quarterback. Reaching his 4,000-yard objective for 2025 would make him the primary quarterback in franchise historical past to satisfy that mark. Although he'll have to attend till September to start out chipping away at that objective, the quarterback put collectively arguably his greatest apply of coaching camp Thursday, when unplanned moments served as a educating floor for Bears coach Ben Johnson.
“We had been marching down the sphere, and the headset began going out on me, and I obtained form of annoyed,” Williams mentioned. “Ben came visiting to me after, and he was like, ‘Have just a few performs in thoughts if that ever occurs.' That is extra of accountability to me and to this group and having just a few performs that if the clock's working down, headset goes out or it is spiking or one thing — you may't hear the playcall — it is a have just a few performs, go on the market and do not go on the market palms up and complain and issues like that. Maintain going.”
The expansion Williams has displayed over the primary eight days of camp earned reward from his head coach.
“He is aware of what's coming, and we're attending to the purpose now the place I do not even must say as a lot,” Johnson mentioned. “He is as arduous on himself as I am being on him, and he is upset once we're not spitting the performs out within the huddle the best way we should always or we're not taking the right drop or our eyes aren't in the best place.
“He is attending to that time the place it is extra self-correction, and we're off and working from there. I am actually enthusiastic about the place he is at mentally.”
