1st-and-10: The word on Caleb Williams — upgrade

Bears wide receiver Tyler Scott has a healthy appreciation for Justin Fields after playing with Fields as a rookie last season.

“Justin was very electric, obviously with both his arm and his legs,” Scott said.

But it’s a new day now.

“Those guys upstairs [in management], they have a job to do and if they think we’re going to be better at a certain position, they’re going to get us better at that position,” said Scott, who knows that reality all too well after Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded for Keenan Allen and acquired Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick in the NFL draft in the offseason.

“So far, I think we have looked good. I think Caleb has done a great job, just from OTAs before, all his rookie stuff coming in to now — you can definitely see the game start to slow down for him. You can start to see him being himself a little bit. You could see a couple of times [Monday] — you could just see him working in the pocket and you can say, ‘Man, this what you saw at USC,’ So far it’s looked pretty good.”

There was nothing Williams could do in four non-padded practices in July to prove he’s the franchise quarterback the Bears are expecting. But less than a week into camp, one thing is clear: He's the right guy in the right place. The Justin Fields option is a mere footnote in Poles’ rebuild.

There’s obviously still a long way to go before the tale is finally told, with Williams in Chicago and Fields in Pittsburgh behind veteran Russell Wilson. But just as Fields looked like an upgrade over Mitch Trubisky in early practices in 2021, Williams looks like an upgrade over Fields. As it turned out, it’s a move Poles had to make.

It’s hard to believe now, but when the 2023 season ended, the Bears keeping Fields and using an “historic haul” for the No. 1 overall draft pick to fortify a Fields-led offense seemed like a close call for Poles — especially with Williams’ draft prospectus clouded by rumors and questions about his character and individuality that made him appear to be a huge draft risk.

As it turned out, it was a blowout. The Bears were smitten with Williams almost from the first time they met him and convinced of his character through a series of meetings and social engagements. It happened so quickly that historic-haul offers for the No. 1 pick never even materialized — probably because the league knew it was an easy call for Poles. While Fields’ trade stock appeared high to some (ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. thought the Bears could get the No. 8 pick in the draft for Fields), the league said otherwise — Fields netted only a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick from the Steelers.

It’s still early. But even in non-padded practices, Williams has shown an instinct for the position that Fields did not. He has a quicker, more decisive release and a composure in the pocket that projects an ability to do two things that Fields struggled with — pulling the trigger to hit the open receiver early and finding the open receiver late when the play breaks down.

When former GM Ryan Pace whiffed on Trubisky, it was fair to wonder why his evaluation didn’t give more consideration to Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson. If Williams isn’t the best quarterback in this class, Poles likely will not face quite the same scrutiny. Almost anyone else would have been compelled to make the same pick.

2. And, no doubt, Fields would have benefited from the upgraded supporting cast that Williams has (plus upgrades from the bounty for the top pick). But it likely would have only covered up his flaws, not fixed them.

And therein lies the difference — even in this small sample size, Williams’ release, decisiveness and ability to make off-schedule passing plays indicates that he’ll be able to make plays that Fields could not.

3. The Bears’ first practice in pads on Friday begins a critical stage for Matt Eberflus. This is the point of training camp where injuries piled up quickly last year after a similar longer ramp-up phase.

Safety Jaquan Brisker, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Jack Sanborn, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, guards Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis, center Lucas Patrick and wide receiver Chase Claypool were among the players who missed significant practice time once the pads came on. And there’s no doubt it played a role in the Bears’ 0-4 start.

The Bears enter padded practices virtually intact, with all starters participating. Left tackle Braxton Jones, linebacker T.J. Edwards and Odunze currently are limited in what Eberflus said was a precautionary measure.

4. It’s probably not a coincidence that there was a palpable uptick in the energy at practice Tuesday with fans in the stands for the first time — it was a community invite day.

The Bears have only nine practices open to the public — and with a limited capacity of 1,700 — beginning Friday (tickets for those practices sold out in minutes on July 9).

That’s the price to pay for moving training camp from Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais to Halas Hall. But as much as the Bears prefer to practice in absolute privacy, they need to have more practices open to the public. It seems like playing in front of fans does more for practice efficiency than any of the music that has become a part of the ambiance of any NFL practice.

5. There’s an even greater anticipation of padded practices this year with the offensive upgrades — led by Allen, running back D’Andre Swift and presumably Williams and Odunze making it more of a fair fight against the chatty defense.

“Definitely,” defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. “I think they’re scheming it up for us this year. Especially with the move calls and all that, we’ll just have to bring it. Just go full speed when we get those pads on. And that’s what’s going to sharpen each other.”

6. Pick to click: Sometimes even in OTAs, minicamp and non-padded training camp practices you can see a player coming into his own. Second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who has little miss room with Terrell Smith behind him, looks ready to take a big step in 2024. There’s just something about him.

7. Sign of Progress Dept.: Usually in training camp, the Bears have enough holes in their lineup or injuries/absences that back-up players get opportunities and look good enough to warrant intrigue as under-the-radar players to watch. Not nearly as many of those players this year as in the past — arguably a sign of stability at the top of the roster.

8. Player of intrigue: Rookie defensive end Austin Booker is getting reps with the first-team defensive line — "It’s more a function of the way we’re rotating them right now and just trying to make sure we give him exposure,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said.

The inexperienced Booker has a long way to go, but still could do some damage if an improving Bears’ defense looking to be in the top-10 in the NFL is in advantageous down-and-distance situations.

“We’re not in pads yet but I saw a lot of things that I’m really excited about,” Washington said. “His hand usage. His ability to counter. He’s competing to win. He’s got one objective and that’s to put himself in position to hit the quarterback. I’m really excited about that.”

9. Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Safety Eddie Jackson had an interception in his first practice with the Ravens on Monday. The two-time Pro Bowl safety signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Baltimore ($1 million guaranteed) on July 19, reuniting with former Bears linebacker Roquan Smith.

It’s a nice landing spot for Jackson as the third safety on a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL last season (16.5 average) and helped reboot the careers of veterans Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy and Ronald Darby last season.

10. Bear-ometer — 10-7: vs. Titans (W); at Texans (L); at Colts (W); vs. Rams (L); vs. Panthers (W); vs. Jaguars in London (L); at Commanders (W); at Cardinals (W); vs. Patriots (W); vs. Packers (W); vs. Vikings (L); at Lions (L); at 49ers (L); at Vikings (W); vs. Lions (W); vs. Seahawks (W); at Packers (L).