Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus surely understands that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is going to experience some growing pains, and Eberflus is already witnessing it in practice.

When discussing Williams this week, Eberflus said that getting his cadence down will be something Williams really needs to work on as camp progresses.

“Something we still have to work on, as you guys saw today, is the cadence,” Eberflus said, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “We saw guys jump offsides – I think there were half a dozen of the time – so that’s something that needs to be worked out. That is something that needs to be addressed, and worked on, and improved on here in the next couple of days. We’d like to get that cleaned up.”

Williams did not have to use cadence at USC, so it will definitely take some time for him to master it on the NFL level. The Bears committed six pre-snap penalties during Tuesday's practice, which obviously needs to be cleaned up.

“Honestly, it’s just reps,” added Eberflus. “You just have to get the reps and get it right. You have to use cadence as a weapon on offense. You can’t just go, ‘Ready. Set Hut.’ the entire time. Right? So, we got to do double counts, we got to do triple counts, we got to do dummy counts, we got to do silent counts, we got to do all the counts that everybody else has in the NFL.”

Caleb Williams and the Bears are under a lot of pressure entering 2024

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws the ball during organized team activities at Halas Hall.
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears went just 7-10 this past season, so there shouldn't be that many expectations for them heading into 2024. But there are.

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Williams has been labeled a generational prospect by some and is expected to transform Chicago's franchise. Plus, the Bears made a plethora of other moves to bolster the roster this offseason, acquiring wide receivers Keenan Allen (via trade) and Rome Odunze (via the draft) as well as signing running back D'Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett in free agency.

And remember: the Bears already had wide out DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet in tow.

There is no question that Chicago has a talented group, but it also plays in a very tough NFC North division that features a Detroit Lions team that was one half away from making it to the Super Bowl this past winter and an upstart Green Bay Packers squad that has been labeled a dark horse championship contender. Heck, even the Minnesota Vikings are no joke.

Not only that, but the Bears do have some holes, such as a very lackluster pass rush that finished second-to-last in the NFL in sacks last season. Also, let's face it: Williams is just a rookie and has not thrown a single meaningful NFL pass just yet, so we should probably pump the brakes just a bit. The fact that this team is appearing on HBO's “Hard Knocks” is probably not the best idea, either.

Chicago has made the playoffs just twice the last 13 years and has not won a postseason game since January 2011, so fans in the Windy City are understandably hungry.

However, some patience will likely be required for the Bears in 2024.