Caleb Williams has had an uneven training camp. That’s to be expected of a young Bears quarterback learning a new scheme, its language and its new technical requirements.

Sailing won’t always be smooth in that scenario, especially with a details-demanding head coach in Ben Johnson who doesn’t settle for less.

There have been ups and downs as Williams has worked through the summer. When you’re a No. 1 overall pick, every move (and misstep) is analyzed for greater meaning even when there is none.

As a reminder, progression is not linear.

This Bears training camp was always viewed as a project to prepare for Week 1. Johnson and his staff kept teaching off good moments and bad. The returns are starting to come.

Williams had his best stretch of camp, starting with midweek practices, a joint session against Buffalo and Sunday’s preseason victory against the Bills at Soldier Field.

“He’s really been locked in,” Johnson said in a postgame press conference. “Anytime you’re a young player, there’s usually a couple of steps forward and one step back. And that’s really been the story of this training camp.

“He and I have been really open and honest about it as we’ve gone through. And he’s had some really good practices, and he’s had a couple where it’s not good enough. I thought, really, the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he has stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be to keep pushing that direction.”

There’s some positivity to build upon from that stretch, including Sunday’s tangible two-series sequence where he completed 6-of-10 passes for 107 yards, a touchdown and a 130.1 passer rating. (Read Nicholas Moreano’s detailed charting of that performance right here.)

“Caleb made a couple big-time throws, in my opinion, to keep that drive going, and made some plays there,” Johnson said. “It was good, good to see.”

Williams’ practice efforts come before hundreds at Halas Hall. Sunday’s endeavor was on national television and wowed many who both read about unevenness in practice or hadn’t paid attention to the Bears before Sunday night.

There were overreactions to bad practices before. They’ll swing the other way after he looked so good against Buffalo’s backups.

Williams won’t be swayed by them, focusing instead on gains made to this point and what’s left to learn before Week 1.

“I think I’ve grown a lot,” Williams said on Sunday night. “Now, my mindset is to keep growing. It’s been my mindset since I’ve been a little child, to keep growing. Where I see myself, I think the idea is to be able to handle every single thing that I can and everything that Ben says I should be able to handle. If that’s handling everything at the line, handling everything and taking things off of other people’s plates, that’s what it is. Being able to do that consistently over the next couple of years is important for me.”

Williams must get granular each day to master Johnson’s offense and his massive role in it, but he’s also thinking big picture. Williams views this as a long-term working relationship and knows there will be steps both forward and back in the early days. The growth mindset Williams mentions is key to progress and better on-field dividends.

“I think every year will be that for me,” Williams said. “Being able to grow, being able to learn from everything. The good, bad, indifferent, from last year and years from now. So, I think being able to have that mindset, being able to keep growing, keep learning and be the humble guy, …I think is the most important thing for me throughout the years.”

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