Quarterback Caleb Williams had marched the Bears’ offense 44 yards on five plays during practice Saturday before lining up for a third-down play at the 3-yard line.
It was a two-minute drill, not the red-zone period the offense had struggled so terribly in the day before. But it felt important — as important, at least, as a drill on a back field in July can be.
Williams took a snap, shuffled and lofted a jump ball to the left corner of the end zone. Receiver Rome Odunze, careful not to tip off what he was doing to cornerback Nahshon Wright, kept his hands and eyes still until he leaped and snatched the ball out of the air for a touchdown.
‘‘Caleb gave me a shot,’’ Odunze said after the practice. ‘‘Obviously, [we] need to continue to build that and have that as a weapon in our offense, something that I did a lot in college, as well. So just building that connection, which I think we’ll show this year.’’
Odunze remains the receiver most likely to find a connection with Williams, a fellow first-round pick in 2024.
‘‘A year under our belt definitely helps us continue to build that,’’ Odunze said. ‘‘With the new offense, learning it together and having the knowledge of playing in the NFL . . . and not just being like two rookies just kind of figuring it out. We kind of have a little bit to base it off of now.’’
Williams bounced back a day after going 0-for-5 in a seven-on-seven red-zone period in which he threw two interceptions. Head coach Ben Johnson said Saturday that the first interception was thrown into coverage too tight to try to attack and that the second, a pass along the back line of the end zone, needed to be thrown high enough that only an offensive player had a chance to catch it.
‘‘These are things that you learn from,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘Unfortunately, sometimes you have to do it a couple of times to get burned by that hot stove before you realize, ‘Hey, I don’t want to touch that anymore.’ ’’
Williams had been burned during the first three days of practice before faring better Saturday. Part of that was because of his connection with Odunze, who should have the easiest time getting in sync of anyone in the receiver room. The Bears have vowed to use DJ Moore differently than they did last season, rookie Luther Burden III has yet to practice because of a hamstring injury and slot receiver Olamide Zaccheaus is in his first season with the team.
‘‘I want to get the ball as early and as often as I can,’’ Odunze said. ‘‘As a wide receiver and a playmaker, I feel like I have the ability to make this offense move and have explosive plays. . . . I want to be that No. 1 guy for [Williams] and go kill it, be that duo [with Williams], but we have a bunch of playmakers.’’
Johnson declined to say he was frustrated by the offense in the first three days of practice. He pointed toward progress: Players are lining up in the right places and identifying the proper cues before the snap. What happens afterward is what training camp is for.
The bar, however, is set higher than that — even in bad situations. In a drill toward the start of every practice, coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense blitzes and forces Williams to make quick decisions. The Bears are trying to ensure Williams won’t throw the ball away while in the pocket — that’s a penalty — or put it in harm’s way. Sometimes the smart move is to take a sack, but not always.
‘‘Part of his superpower is, he’s going to be able to break some of these tackles,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘Even though we’re calling him dead in practice with a sack, he’s gonna be able to escape and make something out of nothing.’’