The short game is key to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' development, but it's only part of his endeavor

The highlight reel from Caleb Williams' two seasons at USC is packed with one heroic play after another as he lit up the secondary. No wonder he was one of the most popular college athletes of his time.

But NFL games aren't usually won that way, and Williams is learning that in his rookie season
the bears. Although there's little excitement on checkdowns, the simple passes were key to Williams' efficient performance in the win over the Rams last week, and it's crucial that he continues to show his prowess in that area on Sunday against the Panthers.

To be clear, no one should misunderstand what Williams is trying to establish at this early stage of his career. The Bears are absolutely not trying to make him have fun. As passing game coordinator Thomas Brown recently reiterated, the life of a quarterback is a higher level than just avoiding mistakes – even for a rookie.

“You can’t be afraid to throw the football and take advantage of opportunities,” Brown said, speaking specifically about how the team coaches Williams. “You would never do plays.”

While the Bears want Williams to be effective in the short game and minimize turnovers like any successful pro would, that's just part of his training.

“Definitely an important step,” Williams said.

Though certainly not the whole thing – which Williams readily agreed to.

In a way, he learns the hard part of the job first. He was a deep-ball artist while in college and recently said he knew recognizing checkdown opportunities in pre-draft analysis “was a knock on my game.”

He went 15-for-15 on passes shorter than 10 yards against the Rams, averaging 8.4 yards per play. Again, that alone isn't enough, but the best quarterbacks spend a lot of the game making so-called layups and then take a few big chances.

Williams' playing style is often compared to that of the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes. His favorite QB as a kid was Aaron Rodgers. Both win largely by making small wins on a regular basis and pocketing a few big wins.

Consistent passing against the Rams was key to Williams posting a 106.6 passer rating on 17-for-23 passing for 157 yards and a touchdown, the seventh-highest among Bears rookies. A week earlier, when he racked up 363 empty yards in a loss to the Colts and committed three turnovers, he completed 84% of his passes within 10 yards and averaged just 5.9 yards per play. He also threw an interception just behind the line of scrimmage.

None of this would be exciting if it were indicative of the finished product, but the goal at this stage is to grow and lay the foundation for a long career.

“Not holding the ball, not taking those sacks, finding checkdowns, getting the ball out of your hands and letting the guys you have make plays — that’s what I’m here for,” Williams said, adding that he Doing it also has to create plays yourself.

As he continues to make this a core part of his game, the next steps are to play effectively in the middle area and take advantage of opportunities from deep.

When will these pieces click? There's no clear timeline, but it's clear Williams is a quick learner. It may have had a slow start, but don't be surprised if there are strong upward moves.

The Panthers have a vulnerable defense that allowed the most points and the fifth-highest passer rating of the opponent, but produced the fewest sacks. That was always going to be the upside of the Bears' crowded schedule this year: Williams would face plenty of manageable tests as he acclimated to the NFL.

This is the time to reinforce what he's learned in the short-range passing attack and take steps in other areas. For him, it's okay to be a work in progress – as long as there is actually steady progress.