The Chicago Bears got the finish they wanted on Thursday. Caleb Williams shook off an uneven start and ended the day by leading a 65-yard touchdown drive that finished with a touchdown pass to Luther Burden III.
The play came during Day 8 of training camp, a practice that mattered because the offense had been trying to clean up its two-minute work. This time, Williams and the Bears answered with a drive that covered every yard it needed to. He completed 6-of-6 passes on the march and found Burden at the end of it, with 1:41 left and the offense trailing 24-21.
That ending carried extra weight because the day had not started cleanly. Williams hit Rome Odunze on the opening 11-on-11 play, but Tyrique Stevenson picked him off later in the period for the second time this camp. Clay Harbor called it a mixed day and said Williams struggled early before responding, while Josh Buckhalter viewed the practice the same way.
Even so, the last drive was the clearest sign of control the Bears have shown in that situation so far. Thursday’s padded work turned into a near-perfect two-minute drill, with the only blemish coming when Austin Booker dropped Swift for a loss after quickly beating Loveland. That made the touchdown to Burden more than a single throw. It was the finish of a sequence that showed the offense could answer after mistakes instead of letting them linger.
What Burden’s catch means beyond Thursday is still open. The touchdown does not settle his place in the rotation, but it gives him a play that should carry into the next practice, where the Bears will be looking to see whether the same timing holds when the pressure returns.
