The pairing of Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson is a boom-or-bust prospect for the Chicago Bears.
Together, the first-year head coach and second-year quarterback aim to break the team out of the offensive doldrums it has been in for decades.
While at the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Johnson spoke about a number of things, including his plans for helping Williams reach his potential.
The new Bears coach emphasized a return to fundamentals, noting there will be a focus on footwork, as well as establishing consistent terminology and defensive identification. Johnson also highlighted the importance of aligning the playcaller’s perspective with the quarterback’s while also noting he aims to push his new QB a bit.
“There’s a degree of Caleb being challenged a little bit more, I think,” Johnson said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “Outside of his comfort zone.”
Ben Johnson Shares More on His Plans to Challenge Caleb Williams, Bears Offense
Johnson says he also plans to increase Williams’ snaps from under center, a departure from the QB’s predominantly shotgun experience in high school, college and much of his rookie season. The goal there is to enhance the running game and create more effective play action opportunities.
“There are some things that we’re going to encourage that he looks to do a little bit differently,” Johnson said.
“He’s (Caleb) been predominantly a shotgun quarterback for most of his high school and college career, and so he’s very comfortable there. We’re going to work to see the comfort level under center and how much of that applies. We had a lot of success where I was last year that going under center for the run game did translate in play action. Whether that works for us in Chicago, time will tell, right?”
Starting all 17 games last season, Williams set multiple franchise rookie records, including completions (351), passing attempts (562), passing yards (3,541) and passing touchdowns (20). Notably, he achieved a streak of 354 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the longest ever by a rookie and fourth longest in NFL history.
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GettyBears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Johnson says he’s not too concerned about Williams working under center more.
“He’s done it. It’s just the comfort level. It’s time on task,” Johnson said about Williams. “It’s, how many reps can we get under his belt where he feels better and better about taking drops under center? I’m more prone to the play-action game underneath because I do think the longer action, the longer fake, does tend to hold the second level for a little bit longer. That’s where you get your chunks, your shots, behind them. There is merit for looking to develop that part of his game.”
Johnson also acknowledged Williams’ coachability and eagerness to learn. “Everything I’ve seen so far is that he has been a very coachable individual. He just wants to soak in knowledge,” he said about his 23-year-old QB.
Williams’ ability to protect the football was evident last year, as he only threw six interceptions all season. Additionally, Williams showcased his dual-threat capability by rushing for 489 yards, adding a dynamic element to the Bears’ offense.
But he was sacked 68 times, the third-highest single-season total in NFL history, highlighting issues within the offensive line and the need for quicker decision-making under pressure.
While the offensive line struggled, Williams also held onto the ball too long, contributing to his high sack count. Improving his pre-snap reads and processing speed will be crucial for his development. Having an offensive-minded coach around should help.
“You need to be able to see the game as a playcaller through the lens of the quarterback and vice versa,” Johnson added.
The QB-head coach relationship is the most important in the NFL. If the Bears finally got that pairing right, fans may have something to cheer about for the first time in ages.
