Bears rookie Caleb Williams evaluates his performance in preseason debut vs. Bills

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams made his preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills, where he looked the part of a potential franchise quarterback.

Williams played in just two series, but he looked calm, decisive and efficient operating the offense. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 95 yards and a 101.8 passer rating, while leading Chicago to six points. Two of his three incompletions were drops (by tight end Cole Kmet and receiver DJ Moore). The other, a throwaway out of the back of the end zone.

Following the game, Williams reflected on his first on-field action since last November.

"It felt good," Williams said after the game. "There's always a little bit more of a focus you have going into games for whatever reason, even if you try and enter that mindset and things like that throughout the weeks. It's just a sense of control, a sense of progress, a bunch of different things that when you get into games, the comfort level and all of that normally skyrockets."

Outside of the overall execution of the offense, where Williams excelled, there were some "wow" plays that showed why he was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. On the first series, Williams was pressured in the pocket and stayed put before flipping a screen pass to running back D'Andre Swift for a 42-yard gain. While many thought it was a no-look pass by Williams, Swift's bright orange gloves helped Williams locate him for the flip.

"I did see [Swift]," Williams said. "It wasn't a no-look. I wish I could claim it was, but it wasn't. … So I saw it open and I could feel the defenders breaking through the line, which they should on a screen. So [the] offensive line did a great job making it seem believable that they were gonna let up a sack. Then [I] tossed it over the [defender's] head and we got around 40 yards or so, so it was great."

On the next possession, facing first-and-10 from the Chicago 41-yard line, Williams faked a handoff to Khalil Herbert, rolled right, pump-faked and delivered an off-platform completion to Kmet for a 26-yard gain. It showcased just how good Williams is throwing on the move.

"We've been repping this play for a while now," Williams said, "and just getting those reps in has been key. You come out on gameday and the seas part and Cole is running down the sideline. My job is just to get him the ball in space and let our players like Cole and them do their magic. … Cole did a great job selling it and breaking it to the corner."

While it's just one preseason game, Williams had a strong first showing where he flashed his potential as the Bears' franchise quarterback moving forward. He still has a long way to go, but that was as good as it could've gone for Williams.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears QB Caleb Williams evaluates his performance in preseason debut