Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went through some growing pains in his first few days working with new coach Ben Johnson’s offense. But as the pads have gone on and the reps have increased, Johnson has seen plenty of growth from his second-year signal caller.
Johnson’s been especially impressed with how Williams has started operating in his complex scheme.
“He is so much more comfortable right now,” Johnson said when speaking with reporters at training camp. “Even yesterday, the walk through yesterday, just in terms of moving around. You know, we go from gun to under (center) to, the tight ends are moving, the receivers are moving, we’re adding a few more every single day. So I think he just — his process, and I told him this on the player day off, his process is really clean right now. I’m talking about how he’s preparing. I’m really pleased with it.
“He’s doing the work behind the scenes that no one else is seeing and we’re starting to see the dividends being paid from it.”
Williams, a former Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a solid rookie campaign in spite of a lackluster structure around him. He was sacked 68 times, which led the league and is third most in a single season in NFL history, but he still completed 351 passes for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns — all franchise rookie records.
His 354 pass attempts without an interception also set an NFL record for rookies. In spite of the almost constant defensive pressure he faced, Williams was the first Chicago quarterback to start every game in a single season since Jay Cutler in 2009.
2025 NFL training camp takeaways: Bears’ Caleb Williams out of sorts; Browns’ Shedeur Sanders odd QB out
Garrett Podell
Chicago fired Matt Eberflus in the midst of a 5-12 2024 season and hired Johnson, who engineered one of the NFL’s top offensive attacks with the Detroit Lions. Johnson, and Chicago’s front office, immediately set to improving the situation around Williams.
They revamped their offensive line by signing former Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman and trading for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, who is coming off of a second consecutive first-team All-Pro season. They also drafted tight end Colston Loveland in the first round and wide receiver Luther Burden III in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.