Caleb Williams wants the big play - his checkdowns will have to work until this improves

LAKE FOREST – When Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sailed a 47-yard pass down the sideline to Rome Odunze in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, the completion served as hope for what could be a regular occurrence with Williams at the helm.

Through four weeks this season, the play has become an exception, not the norm.

A majority of Williams’ throws this season have been for less than 20 yards as the rookie quarterback tries to find his footing in the league. Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron told reporters Thursday at Halas Hall that he’s confident the big plays will come soon.

“He did a really good job of staying clean against whatever front structure was curing on those plays, getting the ball out of his hands and letting those guys get to work there,” Waldron said of Williams’ play this season. “That’ll be the next step, that balance of that when it’s time to go down the field on those throws.”

Williams has shown a strong ability to get the ball out of his hands on short passes. Through four games, Williams has completed 87 of his 141 pass attempts. But Williams has completed only six passes for more than 20 yards and two for more than 40.

Both of his 40-plus-yard passes came against the Colts. He hit Odunze in the second quarter of the loss and threw a 44-yard Hail Mary pass that D.J. Moore caught right in front of the goal line. Against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Williams didn’t complete a pass for more than 20 yards in his four attempts, according to Next Gen Stats.

Williams’ inability to find checkdowns was something that some critiqued him for heading into April’s NFL draft. He credited short passes to his development early and how they help in the offense’s overall success.

“It’s always a growing and learning process, and I think I’ve done, I would say, a pretty solid job of finding checkdowns and understanding that the game is so huge for us and our offense and keeping us on the football field,” Williams said. “So with me doing that and all of that, I think it’s been important for us. I think it’s something I’ve gotten better with, obviously.”

Relying on short passes has limited some larger gains for players such as Moore. In his first season with the Bears last season, Moore averaged 14.2 yards per reception, catching 25 passes for more than 25 yards and two for more than 40 yards.

So far this season, Moore is averaging 8.6 yards per catch this season. That Hail Mary catch against the Colts is Moore’s lone 20-plus yard catch this season.

Moore, Williams and Waldron all agreed that communication would be an important aspect in helping Moore and Williams build their rapport as the season progressed. Both players blamed miscommunication for a missed opportunity late in the second quarter against the Rams on Sunday.

“[Caleb Williams] did a really good job of staying clean against whatever front structure was curing on those plays, getting the ball out of his hands and letting those guys get to work there. That’ll be the next step, that balance of that when it’s time to go down the field on those throws.”

—  Shane Waldron, Bears offensive coordinator

For the time being, Moore knows his young quarterback will need to rely more on checkdowns until things progress down the field.

“Every quarterback wants a big play, but if it’s not there or they can’t see it, the checkdown’s going to be open because everybody else is downfield, so I mean you never go broke taking a profit,” Moore said. “That’s what my coach says, so that’s what we’re living by, and I get it.”

Williams and the offense built momentum in the second half against the Rams by scoring on both of the Bears’ first two second-half drives. Williams found Moore for a 9-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone on the first drive and hit tight end Cole Kmet up the middle for 22 yards a play before D’Andre Swift ran in for a touchdown.

Those moments are why the Bears like the way Williams has progressed early in his career. They also don’t doubt the big plays will come.

“We know explosives will happen within the context of the game,” Waldron said. “But playing efficient football, that’s what’s going to lead us to playing good complementary football.”

• Shaw Local Bears reporter Sean Hammond contributed to this report.