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Chicago Bears QB, Caleb Williams looking on during OTAs on June 4, 2025.
There is no question that the Chicago Bears are once again coming into the season with high expectations.
Higher ones, in fact, than even last season, now that the team has a revamped offensive line and offensive guru and former Detroit Lions OC, Ben Johnson, is at the helm as head coach.
Whilst some are skeptical (and understandably so) about the Bears’ offensive capabilities, regardless of the situation they are in, others are very much bullish about what Caleb Williams and co. can do in 2025 and beyond.
These “others” in this case include 7 x All-Pro linebacker, Luke Kuechly, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, who was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in just his first year of eligibility.
Luke Kuechly Outlines High Expectations For Caleb Williams And The Bears’ Offense In 2025
Speaking to Kay Adams, Kuechly spells out what he expects from the Bears’ offense in Ben Johnson’s first year in charge.
What changes for Caleb Williams under Ben Johnson?
Future HOFer Luke Kuechly on why he’s high on the Bears new offense 🙌@heykayadams | @LukeKuechly @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/Bz0mD0qsb8
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 14, 2025
“I think the first thing that you look at with Poles and Ben Johnson is that offensive line,” Kuechly said in response to being asked what he was looking at on the offfense,”Caleb got hit a lot last year, bringing Thuney and Dalman in free agency…then you look at the receivers and its all first round picks…and then they get [tight end] Colston Loveland to sling it around to with Cole Kmet. They are loaded on offense at the skill positions.”
However, beyond the offseason investment on that side of the ball, both in the trenches and the skill positions, Kuechly points to a tactical shift that he expects to happen in Williams’ second year as a pro that could help him take his game up a gear: the increase in usage of play-action.
One Scheme Shift Could Have A Huge Impact On The Passing Game – Kuechly
“I think what changes for Caleb Williams that’s going to be super helpful is that everybody talks about ‘How do you take care of a young quarterback?’, and a lot of it has to do with the passing game. And the amount of play-action pass that Detroit used last year with Jared Goff was top-five in the league, and then you look on the contrary with the Bears – not a ton of play-action pass from them last year.
“The play action pass does a lot of things: it provides easy windows for the quarterback to throw the ball; there’s easy, built-in checkdowns to guys in the flat, easy completions; it takes a lot of pressure off the offensive line, because instead of playing pure drop-back pass so these defensive linemen can pin their ears back and rush, they’re taking a play action run fake and moving sideways…and you gotta imagine that Caleb’s going to be more comfortable going into year two.”
And with the play-action game, Williams will help utilize the skill-set of rookies, Loveland and second round pick and slot receiver, Luther Burden III, who will thrive with the underneath balls with YAC potential.
There is no doubt that the ceiling is high for the talented Bears quarterback, and if all the team’s players and resources and utilized effectively, he could be the first Chicago QB to finally hit that 4000 yard single-season passing mark.
