LAKE FOREST, Ill. — No one wants to tell a receiver that he’s running a route where he’s not going to get the ball, where he’s not even a viable option in the play’s design. But it happens quite often. One of football’s most popular concepts, "Dagger," includes a vertical route where a receiver effectively sprints downfield without any hope of a reception. He runs the route because it’ll create space for another pass-catcher to get open. There are a few names for this type of play, including "The Love of the Game Route." But Bears receiver Kalif Raymond told me recently that those types of routes don’t exist in Chicago's offense — not with Caleb Williams throwing the football. "There's no such thing," said Raymond, who joined the Bears in free agency this offseason. "[Williams can use] every blade of grass and even the oxygen particles that are in the air because this dude can jump sideways. I was like, ‘What?’ It's almost like he feels better when he's under duress or when he's doing something crazy. … He can see you from all over the field. He can make that throw from anywhere on the field. It's really cool to see that's the capability back there." The play is never over. Now, don’t get me wrong, head coach Ben Johnson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor have worked diligently with Williams on completing more of his passes in structure — taking what the defense gives him. That’s how the team hopes to get their star QB from a 58.1% completion percentage to 70%, which is the goal. But Williams went No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft in large part because of his arm talent and his creativity. At times in his rookie season, it felt like the Bears' offense corrupted those strengths — leading to mistakes and missed opportunities. When Johnson arrived in 2025, it seemed he prioritized getting the quarterback back on track, developmentally. They focused on using the offensive system first, then applying creativity only when it was necessary. And there's no doubt he's more comfortable in Johnson's offense in year two. "It’s a hell of a lot more fun for me than it was last year," Williams told reporters earlier in camp. "I was saying it to Coach Studes [running backs coach Eric Studesville], ‘Dude, I feel like I was drowning, trying to breathe or stay alive and wait for a boat to come around last year.’ "Now this year, it’s being able to start where we finished last year, play calls and words and verbiage and speak the same language. It’s being able to grow more from an earlier stage [and] maybe doing it a little bit earlier in the season. … That’s the advantage." And after seeing "Cardiac Caleb" lead the NFL with six fourth-quarter comebacks last season, the Bears are embracing more of what makes him unique — his creativity when plays break down. It's what Taylor calls "the next step." "That's something we've tried to really put a big emphasis on this offseason," Taylor told me in early August. "After a year with Caleb, watching his escapability and watching his second-play ability, [it’s our job] to make sure that everybody's on the same page." How will the Bears do that exactly? "We coach every time that comes up, whether it's seven-on-seven or team situations. We're going to coach in the following meeting," Taylor said. "What was our reaction? What should we do? What do we expect right here? Let the guys talk a little bit so that we're all on the same page of understanding. There's not hard and fast rules, but there's kind of guidelines. … We can communicate through our body language with the quarterback and where we're expected to be." A lot can go wrong when a quarterback breaks the pocket and steps into a second-chance opportunity. It’s a moment when the signal-caller might force a pass into a tight window for an interception. It’s also a moment when a QB might scramble and get hurt. And it’s also a moment when the quarterback might take a sack — or, even worse, a sack-fumble. This is where we can see a few more qualities that make Williams special. He doesn’t throw many interceptions, keeping his interception percentage at an absurdly low 1.1% in 2024 and 1.2% in 2025. He also found a way to limit his sacks last season, dropping his sack percentage from 10.8% in 2024 (31st) to 3.8% in 2025 (fourth). "He knew when he could take chances and not. And certainly when you're in that, ‘Hey, we're in fourth downs from here on out’ mode, I think that kind of helps his mentality," Johnson told me at the NFL owners meetings. "It's so curious with him: He's just always been such a great protector of the ball. For a guy that can be a little bit aggressive at times with some of these throws he makes, he rarely puts it in harm's way. "And so I think that's a little bit unique to him. And so maybe it's one of those things we just need to encourage him to open it up a little bit more earlier in games, when he might be just a little bit more conservative in some of the decision-making early in games." The Bears trust Williams to make the right play. And … "We got a great quarterback who can make the play right," second-year receiver Luther Burden III told me. The difference is subtle but meaningful. When a play works, Williams needs to execute it. When a play fails, Williams can make up for it. "You're just not limited in any way with Caleb," Bears receivers coach Antwaan Randle El told me. "We know we're not limited. So the sky — we just keep pushing from that standpoint because our quarterback has a great arm. He can run and he can throw it and he can run with it. We got a lot that we can do with him, so that's why it's not coaching our guys differently. It's just making sure they know what to do. Because if you're in the right spot, he'll get the ball to you." At practice in early August, Williams didn’t shy away from breaking structure. There was one example when he felt immediate pressure off the blindside, scrambled right and found receiver Rome Odunze, who was working his way toward the sideline. Odunze took off upfield, weaving his way into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Odunze is an obvious candidate to help Williams generate big plays in any situation. But he might not even be the most obvious candidate. If you think about Patrick Mahomes' creative magic, you also think about tight end Travis Kelce — and the way he finds space when the play breaks down. So it might actually be Bears ascending tight end Colston Loveland who finds a role as the team's go-to target in these situations. That's who I think of first, at least. "That's the first I'd like to think of too," Taylor told me. "I think that'll start to differentiate itself as they start to read his body language, where he's going on certain plays, how he's reacting and how they can fit within the open space in a play." It might not need to be one guy. That’s the beauty of this ascending group of young playmakers, with Williams, Odunze, Burden and Loveland having a combined six seasons in the NFL. They're growing up in an offense where the limit does not exist. No one wants to tell a pass-catcher that he’s running a route where he’s not going to get the ball. In the Bears' offense, no one has to.
