Chicago Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams hopes preseason reps will help his progress
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Bears rookie quarterback said entering training camp, he felt his progression from practice to practice would be key.
Williams said he thinks taking some preseason reps will be helpful to that process as early as Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio.
The team was expected to reveal the starters for that game on Tuesday. Williams was also awaiting that news on Monday.
"I would love to get out there and play," Williams said. "It's pretty awesome to be at Canton, but it's the coach's decision."
He added that he believes there's "always more pros than cons" for young players like himself getting playing time in the preseason.
"Reps are always paramount," he said.
In the meantime, the rookie QB continued to be his toughest critic in camp as he learns Shane Waldron's offense.
"It's been great," Williams said. "I'm always tough about the mistakes. That's the part about me that I think that drives everything."
Waldron lauded Williams' "ability to play with the energy and emotion, but also if something goes wrong, or if something's off a little bit right there, he's looking you right in the eye. He wants to know, 'Hey what's the why behind why that went the wrong way right there? How can I fix it? How can I make it better?'"
It's been nearly nine months since the Heisman Trophy winner from USC played in a football game, but even as the No. 1 overall pick and face of the franchise, Williams doesn't think his opinion on preseason playing carried much weight at this point in his young career.