How can Caleb Williams improve? 3 ways the Bears QB must progress in Week 2

Fans of the Chicago Bears have been wildly optimistic since the team drafted Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft, and who could blame them? The former Heisman Trophy winner is, by every measure, the best quarterback prospect to ever wear navy and orange.

Williams has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes thanks to his creativity, playmaking ability and confidence. While typically Bears fans shudder at the mere mention of Kansas City's three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback (he was, as we've been reminded thousands of times, drafted after the Bears selected Mitch Trubisky), these comparisons have been enough to send the offense-starved fanbase into a frenzy.

You have to forgive Bears fans for our overenthusiasm because this is a situation that we're entirely unaccustomed to. Picture someone who has exclusively eaten TV dinners and burnt chicken suddenly landing a reservation at Carmen Berzatto's fine dining establishment. They'd expect a transcendent, life-changing experience, at least until they heard Cousin Richie screaming into the kitchen and had a plate dropped on them by one of the Faks. That's pretty much what happened against the Titans on Sunday.

The Bear is a perfect metaphor for what took place at Soldier Field in Week 1, not only because it's a show that's set in Chicago, but because it so often illustrates that greatness does not necessarily equal success. Caleb Williams has all the tools to be an elite quarterback, and there's no reason to give up on him after one bad week. But just as Carmy needs to trust Syd and stop tinkering with the menu so much, so too does Caleb have a lot to work on.

All the hype in the world doesn't change the fact that Caleb is still a rookie, and there will likely be many more bumps on his road to stardom. The rest of the NFL won't sit by and wait for him to develop, though, and at some point, Bears fans will also grow impatient, especially if he flounders again in primetime against the Texans in Week 2. Here are three areas Caleb can work on to make sure that Week 1's struggles don't become an ongoing problem.

Caleb Williams area of improvement No. 1: Avoid the killer sack

The trouble with quarterbacks who are skilled at making things happen when a play breaks down is that they never give up on a play. Sometimes that can result in highlight-worthy plays, such as when Caleb found Rome Odunze deep downfield against the Bengals in the preseason after spinning left out of trouble. Often, though, that stubbornness results in a drive-killing sack or an interception after forcing the ball into double coverage.

Caleb avoided throwing any picks in his regular season debut, but he did take two sacks, one of which almost certainly took points off the board. On that play, it wasn't his fault that Coleman Shelton got beaten badly by Keondre Coburn at the snap, and he did well to shake off the second-year defensive tackle with a spin move. This isn't college though, and he's no longer going against Pac-12 defenses, which is why his attempt at a second spin move to avoid Sebastian Joseph-Day was so ill-advised.

Caleb could have thrown the ball away after evading Coburn, but he tried to make a hero play instead. There's a lot for a quarterback to process on any given play, but first and foremost has to be game situation. The Bears were in field goal range in a scoreless game when this sack took place, and if Caleb had simply thrown the ball out of bounds instead of getting sacked for a 19-yard loss, Cairo Santos would have had the chance to put the Bears ahead.

It takes time to adjust to the speed of the NFL, and to realize that plays you used to make in college are no longer viable against tougher competition. Caleb will figure it out, and the sooner he does, the better off the Bears will be.

Caleb Williams area of improvement No. 2: Footwork in the pocket

When talking about a quarterback's ability to move, we almost always focus on his speed and scrambling ability. Too often though, we overlook how important it is to be able to move to create space to throw. Against the Titans, Caleb had issues in this department, though it wasn't all his fault.

The offensive line had a rough day, which resulted in consistent pressure in Caleb's face as he tried to throw. For the most part, he seemed to make good reads, but he could have handled that pressure better. His footwork let him down, which caused two problems — he had several passes batted at the line and he missed some receivers low or behind them.

Tom Brady was objectively slow, though yes, for those wondering, I do still have PTSD from the time he juked Brian Urlacher, but he was a master at sliding in the pocket to create throwing lanes for himself. Caleb needs to take a page out of TB12's book and do the same. Quickly diagnose where the pressure is coming from while keeping your eyes downfield, take a step to the right or left, and deliver the ball.

One of the reasons that Caleb was sometimes inaccurate on Sunday was that he didn't always get his feet set. That's a likely byproduct of being under pressure all day, but he can still do a better job of mastering his fundamentals before getting the ball out. He'll need to against Houston because he'll be under siege again from Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and Mario Edwards Jr.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans will have a strong plan for Caleb after watching the Titans tape. It's imperative that the rookie is ready to respond.

Caleb Williams area of improvement No. 3: Keep it simple

Anyone who watched USC football for the past two years saw multiple plays per game where Caleb made magic happen, often by launching a beautiful deep ball for a long touchdown. The Bears have weapons that can get behind the defense, but until Caleb gets comfortable with the speed of the NFL, he should worry less about hitting home runs and worry more about hitting singles.

The Bears were an abysmal 2-13 on third down against the Titans, despite often being in third-and-short. Caleb frequently looked Keenan Allen's way, but that connection was super inefficient, resulting in just four catches for 29 yards on 11 targets.

Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift are two players who bring a unique element to the passing game, and Caleb should lean on them much more than he did against Tennessee, especially on third down when the defense is hyper-fixated on Allen and DJ Moore.

Kmet and Swift were only targeted once apiece by Caleb on Sunday, resulting in just a single four-yard catch for Kmet. Caleb also looked Swift's way on a two-point attempt after Tyrique Stevenson's go-ahead touchdown, and that resulted in an easy conversion.

A tight end is a quarterback's best friend, and Kmet is a good one. He's a skilled route runner with good hands and a big body with which to box out the defense. Swift is a nightmare in the open field, and with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's ability to draw up effective screen passes, I expect that he and Caleb will establish a connection in short order.

So much of running an effective offense is keeping the chains moving. Explosive plays are great, but before Caleb can run, he first needs to learn how to walk. Keep it simple.