Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams is projecting greatness for himself and Rome Odunze.

The 2024 first-round picks connected on an impressive 45-yard reception during Saturday's 27-3 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and the play showed the pair's great potential heading into the regular season.

After the win, Williams said he is looking forward to playing alongside Odunze and continuing to develop what is already a strong connection.

"We're going to be explosive," Williams said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "We're two rooks, but we're trying to catch up to the old guys as fast as we can to make sure that we're right there on par with them to be able to be efficient, function, go out there and be explosive, be on the same page and win games. That's ultimately what we're here to do. Having a guy like that that was drafted with me, we're only going to keep growing and keep building this connection."

The Bears utilized the No. 1 pick in the Draft on Williams and the No. 9 pick on Odunze. This showcases the hype both players had after their collegiate careers, and their stats at the college level also defend that.

Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy and was still strong in his senior year. He threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns with just five interceptions in his final year at USC. Odunze had a prolific 2023 season, registering 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for a Washington team that reached the CFP National Championship.

The Bears will hope that both players can rise quickly and help the franchise achieve some consistent winning. Chicago last made the postseason in 2020 and has not made the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2005-06. While the NFC North will be tight, having young budding stars like Williams and Odunze means that a window is opening and the team hopes it can capitalize.

After Jonathan Owens rooted her on at the Olympics, Simone Biles is doing the same for her husband as he begins his time with the Chicago Bears.

Biles was spotted at the Bears' preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals to cheer on Ownens, who signed with Chicago this offseason after spending 2023 with the Green Bay Packers.

But Biles is catching a little bit of heat due to her outfit choice at Saturday's game. She was seen on the sideline wearing a jacket inspired by her husband, but it featured him still wearing his former team's uniform.

While the Packers-themed jacket might make some Bears fans mad, she's likely only wearing it because she hasn't had time to get a new jacket with her husband's new team on it.

After all, she's had a pretty busy summer.

At the Paris Olympics earlier this month, Biles took home gold medals in team, all-around and vault along with a silver medal in floor exercise. The successful Olympic showing brought her gold medal total to seven and her total medal count to 11.

Now, Owens will look to have similar success to his wife this year. The safety had 84 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and three pass deflections last season with the Packers.

Even Rome Odunze was impressed after fellow rookie Caleb Williams hit him with an absolute dime during Saturday's preseason matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"It's pretty unreal, honestly," Odunze told reporters after the game. "I just watched it back. He's throwing off one leg, putting it on my outside shoulder. It's like... ooh, it's magical what he's doing back there in the backfield. He's special."

Everybody else who saw the throw agreed with the general sentiment, including Bears wideout DJ Moore.

"Elite," he told reporters regarding Williams' pocket awareness. "Elite. You seen him out there making people look silly? Yeah, it's elite."

Williams, meanwhile, indicated the throw was inspired by plays that Aaron Rodgers has made throughout the years.

"It's something that I've worked on in practice," he told reporters. "Watching Aaron Rodgers—I know he's a Green Bay guy... he can do some incredible things"

Chicago fans may not be thrilled with Williams evoking the memory of a longtime Bears' tormentor like Rodgers, but if he continues to make throws like Saturday's dot, he'll be forgiven.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was apparently feeling nostalgic when he saw Caleb Williams scampering around the gridiron on Saturday.

The Chicago Bears' No. 1 overall pick excelled in his second taste of preseason action on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, showcasing his creativity outside the pocket and his arm talent with a rushing touchdown and a dime to fellow rookie Rome Odunze:

Hill, a longtime teammate of Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs, saw Williams' play on X and alluded to the rookie reminding him of a certain quarterback he played with:

Hill's time playing with Mahomes, of course, produced explosive results. During their time together, Hill compiled 4,854 yards, earning four Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro nods along with a Super Bowl.

The Bears will hope for similar results as Williams gets set to link up a receiving corps headlined by Odunze, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

Reaching Mahomes' caliber of play isn't an expectation that Williams should be saddled with as he enters his rookie season.

But given Williams' stylistic flair, combined with his prestigious college pedigree, it's fair to wonder if he can climb his way up the league's quarterback ladder and entrench himself as a premier signal-caller sooner than later.

Chicago Bears fans got quite the glimpse into why Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze were both top-10 picks in this year's NFL draft on Saturday.

First, Williams hit Odunze down the field with an absolute dot late in the first half, putting the team in scoring position:

Williams finished the job himself, with a ridiculous, field-reversing scramble into the end zone:

And yes, that had NFL fans and pundits alike singing the praises of the young pair:

Williams' first-half stat line won't exactly jump off the page. He finished 6-of-13 for 75 yards with a sack, adding the seven-yard rushing touchdown. He didn't turn the ball over and led the Bears to a pair of scoring drives, giving Chicago a 10-3 lead at the half over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bears went three-and-out on their first three drives, a rough start against Cincy's backups. But the fourth drive led to a field goal, and the fireworks truly began on that final touchdown drive.

Odunze's afternoon came down to a pair of big plays—his 45-yard reception on the Williams' dot and a 16-yard rush on a reverse.

He also should have had a touchdown reception on that final drive but stepped out of the back of the end zone after Williams deftly avoided a pass-rusher, extending the play and finding Odunze in the corner of the end zone. Had he kept his feet inbounds on the catch, it would have been a second highlight moment for the rookie duo.

These were the sorts of moments that Chicago fans have been waiting for since the pair were drafted with the No. 1 overall pick and No. 8 selection in April's NFL draft. There will be growing pains for the duo, no doubt, but their electrifying upside was on full display during Saturday's preseason game.

The second episode of HBO's Hard Knocks with the Chicago Bears focused heavily on the team's preparation for their preseason contest from Aug. 10 against the Buffalo Bills.

Caleb Williams wasn't in the spotlight as much as he was in the premiere, but the rookie quarterback still made his presence felt this week.

Perhaps the most notable moment involving Williams was when he declared he would like to play flag football in the Olympics.

One week after Williams was shown signing John Legend's "Ordinary People" as his rookie karaoke song, fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze was tasked with putting his vocal stylings to the test. The rookie wideout went with "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown.

HBO has taken advantage of the fact that a Bears player is married arguably the greatest gymnast in history at a time when she is setting Olympic record.

Jonathan Owens' recent journey between preparing for the upcoming season with the Bears and traveling to Paris to support his wife, Simone Biles, was a key focus again on the show.

Among the notable things that happened on the field were the one-on-one practice battles between Keenan Allen and Jaylon Johnson. Allen even acknowledged he wasn't able to catch a lot of passes early in camp, but they are not holding back against each other.

It would be hard to think of a more optimistic time for the Bears since the 1985 season when they won Super Bowl 20. They have had some very good years since that time, including an appearance in Super Bowl 41, but the combination of Williams' arrival and talent around the quarterback has completely changed the expectation for the franchise.

The Bears are in a difficult spot simply because the division they play in has two playoff teams that look very good on paper once again, but they have the potential to be a very dangerous team if Williams thrives early and the defense plays like it did down the stretch in 2023.

Through the first two episodes of Hard Knocks, there is no indication the Bears can't be a factor in the NFC playoff race when the regular season begins.

Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore says rookie quarterback Celeb Williams made an "outstanding" preseason debut on Saturday during a 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Moore added that Williams' ability to throw while on the run was "second to none," according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

That comment might have been inspired by Williams' pass to tight end Cole Kmet on a scoring drive he led in the first quarter.

Williams recorded 95 yards on 4-of-7 passing, adding one rush for 13 yards. The No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft began his NFL career by leading the Bears on a 58-yard drive, followed by an 84-yard drive, both of which ended in field goals.

Moore, who made two catches on three targets for 27 yards, took responsibility for dropping a ball Williams sent his way toward the end of the first quarter. The incomplete pass led the Bears to eventually settle for a field goal rather than a touchdown on the drive.

"He went out there on the rollout that I dropped and it was a perfect ball," Moore said, per Cronin. "Got to have those."

Moore led the Bears with 96 catches and last year, and despite the addition of first-round pick Rome Odunze to the wide receiver room is likely to remain a top target this fall.

His support of Williams is a good sign for new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's hopes of putting together a cohesive offense.

The veteran wideout will hope to continue building his connection with Williams when the Bears' preseason continues next Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

It's Caleb Williams time in Chicago.

The 2024 No. 1 pick made his preseason debut for the Chicago Bears Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. While it's just the preseason, the early returns look promising.

Williams played two drives, going 4-of-7 for 95 yards and leading the Bears on two field goal drives. He also added a 13-yard rush.

While the sample size was small, he showed the talent and poise that led to his stock being so high at the Draft. This included a check-down completion to D'Andre Swift in which the defense had significant pressure on him and a successful throw on the run.

He was replaced after the first quarter by Tyson Bagent.

Fans took to social media to express excitement at Williams' play and project success for him and the Bears in 2024.

It is yet to be determined how much action Williams will see for the remainder of the preseason as the Bears look to keep him healthy ahead of his Week 1 debut against the Tennessee Titans.

He is the Bears' third first-round quarterback since 2017 and the franchise hopes he is the one that can finally lift it to new heights.

Chicago went 7-10 in 2023. The Bears have not reached the postseason since 2020 and have not had a winning record since 2018. It will be a difficult task to make a significant jump in 2024 due to the competitive state of the NFC North, but Williams play shows that the team at least appears to be headed in the right direction.