Quarterback Caleb Williams has goals this season — to be the Bears’ first 4,000-yard passer, to set a franchise record by completing 70% of his passes and to lower a sack total that was the most in team history.
‘‘Other than that, you’ve got to go win,’’ he said Tuesday, wearing a gray Bears T-shirt and robin’s-egg-blue nail polish. ‘‘That’s success for me, that’s success for the team. That’s all we wish for — and I wish for.’’
It’s a heady goal, at least said out loud. A cynic would say the Bears should start by striving to finish higher than fifth-to-last in points scored before taking aim at franchise records.
This time of year, however, is a time for confidence. The Bears, who will hold their first training-camp practice Wednesday, won’t face an opponent in a game setting until their preseason opener Aug. 10 and might not play their starters even then.
First-year head coach Ben Johnson sent Williams home last month with work to do — to improve his footwork under center and his accuracy on short throws to his left, something he struggled with during the offseason program. He made sure Williams studied his playbook every day, which Williams said is essential for anyone in his position.
‘‘There were some footwork things we wanted to clean up,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘Trusting the timing of your feet. Being able to anticipate throws. It’s a lot of stuff that goes into that position. And rather than throwing the whole gauntlet at him, we’re just building it from the ground up.’’
Johnson said he has been happy with how Williams has looked since reporting Saturday to Halas Hall. Williams, in turn, sees the benefits of Johnson finding specific areas for him to work on in his free time.
‘‘It’s a constant thing, regardless of if we’re here for the next 15 years together,’’ Williams said. ‘‘It’s something I’ll work [on] in-season, out-of-season and things like that. I feel comfortable with it. I’m going to keep working at it to be smooth and in rhythm of the plays and concepts, in play-action and under center, and how to line up and look the same but be different.
‘‘I feel comfortable. I’m excited to get things rolling.’’
Johnson isn’t backing down from his goal-setting. Mitch Trubisky completed 67% of his passes in 2020, the highest percentage for any quarterback in Bears history with more than 200 passes. For Williams to get there, Johnson said, he will have to put up similar performances in practice. In that sense, even the early days of camp will be telling.
‘‘You would like to think that over the course of practice that we’re completing 70% or more,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘That’s hard to just magically arise in a game. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s one we’re going to strive for.’’
There is less than seven weeks until the regular-season opener against the Vikings, the team Williams and his father once tried to push him toward before the 2024 draft. Asked about fan reaction to that offseason revelation, Williams said the Bears are more worried about those inside the building than those outside of it.
‘‘The outside noise is going to be outside noise,’’ he said, ‘‘and handling it the way we should is of the utmost importance.’’
The game against the Vikings will be here soon enough.
‘‘You don’t look too far ahead, but you do understand that . . . you’re on a time limit,’’ Williams said. ‘‘And so the race is here.
‘‘We can’t pout about the long days. . . . When those times do come about, we’ve got to correct it and we’ve got to move on. And we’ve got to find a way to get past that pouting or the anger or the complaining and understand where we’re at and . . . where we need to be.’’
