Caleb Williams Camp Update — August 31: The Last Live Reps Cut Both Ways

Caleb Williams's summer ended on a Thursday. In the joint practice with the Titans on August 20-seventh he completed his first six passes and opened 11-on-11 work nine of 11, spreading those completions to eight different pass catchers with touchdown throws to Zavion Thomas and Cole Kmet, per Kole Noble at A to Z Sports; the team's website added a red-zone touchdown to Kaden Davis against Tennessee's number-one defense, per Larry Mayer. Then the closing stretch: Williams struggled against a Titans front of Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson and threw a late two-minute interception to Tony Adams on a ball intended for Colston Loveland, per Noble — the second consecutive joint practice to close with a two-minute pick on a throw toward Loveland, after the Cincinnati one. Ben Johnson then sat Williams and most of the starters in Saturday's finale in Nashville, a call made after the joint practice, per Patrick Finley at the Chicago Sun-Times; the Bears won it 24 to 15, per Larry Mayer at the team's website.

Cut day's most direct answer to Williams was about the men in front of him. Both tackles who lost their August battles are gone: Jedrick Wills Jr. released, per Adam Schefter of ESPN as relayed by A to Z Sports, and Kiran Amegadjie, a former third-round pick, waived — a cut the beat treated as a surprise, per Noble. Theo Benedet, the backup beaten on consecutive snaps in Cincinnati's closing drill, made the 53 as a reserve tackle, per Finley's account of the offensive line room. Right tackle Darnell Wright left Tuesday's practice with an apparent right elbow injury and returned Wednesday, per Finley. The quarterback room is Williams, Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum, per Finley, with Bagent back from the hamstring that cost him Cincinnati week and playing the finale's first half, per Mayer.

Back in June we read Williams's big 20 25 as built on volume, scrambling and scheme more than accurate throwing, with year two's accuracy the swing factor — and the summer's evidence closes where last week's stood: precision in stretches, trouble against a good front late, sample now frozen until the games count. Last week's watch line asked whether Cincinnati's protection problems would travel, and how much Williams would play. They traveled — the same shape, against a different front — and the answer came from the roster rather than the podium, with both August tackle losers off the 53 when Sunday's cuts were reported. He never took a snap after that joint practice, by his coach's choice, and his whole preseason game sample stays where it was a week ago: one series in Cincinnati, two of five for 28 yards. The next live evidence is a real game, and we'll be there when it arrives.

_Data via nflverse._