Caleb Williams’ checklist for his 1st Chicago Bears training camp? Maximize his ability. And lean on the talent around him.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze sat side by side in the media interview room Friday at Halas Hall, answering questions on the day Chicago Bears players reported to training camp.

Over the first 10 minutes of the session, Williams answered all but one of the questions, talking about his mindset entering camp and how to balance the urgency within the offense with an understanding of his rookie growth curve.

When a reporter lofted a question to both players about their excitement for their first NFL training camp, Odunze jumped in.

“This is my question, bro. Don’t butt in, bro,” Odunze said, drawing a big smile and laugh from Williams before calling camp “a beautiful opportunity.”

As the Bears open practice Saturday in Lake Forest, Williams is obviously the main attraction. The No. 1 draft pick shoulders major expectations for a team that general manager Ryan Poles believes is “continuing to get closer and closer” to its goal of winning the NFC North — and the Super Bowl.

But Poles’ early expectations in camp for Williams after two months with the Bears are simpler. To maximize his ability. And to remember to lean on the talent around him that Poles assembled, from Odunze to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, D’Andre Swift and more.

“It’s got to be comforting to know you don’t have to do everything on your own, which makes it a pretty good situation for a young quarterback,” Poles said. “There’s going to be adversity, and I just want to see him lean on all of us to get through those moments.

“And then when you’re clicking and in the zone, that those high moments are high. And we just continue to learn and continue to get better every single week and every single day.”

Kmet said Bears veterans understand that Williams’ rookie bumps are “inevitable,” and he wants Williams to feel comfortable approaching any of them when he needs help. Because even as they accept their new quarterback’s learning curve, the Bears feel an urgency to get the offense going under new coordinator Shane Waldron.

“Tomorrow,” Moore said quickly when asked about the timetable.

“Yeah, now,” Kmet added.

Williams feels the urgency, too, and knows his ability to grasp everything he can will help the offense reach its potential faster. He believes he has a group around him who will help him get there, whether it’s Kmet correcting him when he’s wrong or the offensive line talking through cadence issues.

But he also will try to keep perspective on his growth — and not lose confidence during any struggles.

“Being tough on myself but also having an understanding of where we are and where I am,” Williams said. “The progression is key. Those bad times, it’s not a time to have self-doubt. That’s just a waste of time. It’s a time to keep growing, keep progressing and keep believing in yourself.”

The Bears will look for improvement from Williams in chunks. Coach Matt Eberflus said he texted Williams on Friday morning to let him know he’s looking for improvement from the first practice to the fourth.

After a day off Wednesday, the Bears will reassess where Williams is and then look for improvement over the next stack of practices. Eberflus expects Williams to get between 45 and 55 snaps in preseason games too.

“When we get to the 50 days and we’re at the opener, he’s going to be from here … all the way here,” Eberflus said, indicating a climb with his hands. “So concepts were there in the summer. He did a nice job learning those — formations, motions, everything we asked him to do. He’s got to level up from there and keep doing that during camp.”

Because of the Bears’ early start in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1, Williams arrived at Halas Hall this week after an especially short summer break following the last organized team activity on June 12.

He said he took a couple of days off, then returned to training, which included a throwing session with some Bears wide receivers and running backs, though not Moore or Kmet.

In the middle of it, he negotiated his rookie contract.

Williams signed a $39.5 million contract with a $25 million signing bonus Wednesday, according to Spotrac.com. Poles and Williams, who was working without an NFLPA-certified agent, declined to go deep into the details of the contract talks, though Williams said he learned a lot and appreciated the work of his team, which was at Halas Hall until midnight sorting through details.

NBC Sports Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported earlier this week that Williams asked the Bears to agree not to use the franchise tag when that option becomes available, but the Bears declined. Florio also reported Williams’ team approached the NFL about whether it would be possible to be paid as an LLC, but that didn’t materialize either.

“It’s very common for different things to be asked for in the very beginnings of negotiations,” Poles said. “So it wasn’t anything shocking in terms of what was being asked for or anything like that. But at the end of the day, I’m glad it worked out and (is) pretty kind of standard.”

Poles did extensive homework on Williams before drafting him with the No. 1 pick in April, but watching Williams at Halas Hall during the offseason gave him a deeper perspective on how Williams operates.

Poles said he has seen that Williams is bright and mature. He has witnessed an ability to interact with teammates and establish relationships.

“I would say the thing that stands out the most, that gets everyone excited — actually two things — is his passion for the game and his work ethic is outstanding,” Poles said. “The kid’s a grinder and wants to be great, but it’s always nice to see the work ethic match the desire to be great.”

Williams likewise has made an impression on his teammates, including Moore, who is excited to see how the rookie looks as camp picks up.

“Straight off the bat, he’s just a leader,” Moore said. “He took control of the huddle. His arm talent was amazing. That’s what stood out to everybody. And him trying to make all those throws this offseason in OTAs was like, ‘Dang, he really just made that.’ Or, ‘He just did that on the run.’

“It was amazing to see. I’m looking forward to seeing it in full speed against the defense with pads.”