Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams will begin the 2025 NFL season with even bigger expectations than he had when he entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.
Williams joined the Bears as the guy who could finally break the quarterback curse in Chicago. And while his first year in town was just a few hundred yards away from being the first passer in team history to ever throw for 4,000 yards in a season, his rookie year has been viewed by most analysts as a disappointment.
Now, as the 2025 season inches closer, and with the Bears providing Williams with undeniably the best supporting cast that any quarterback has ever had with this team, the pressure to live up to his billing as a generational prospect is greater than ever.
The good news for Williams is that he does, in fact, have a fantastic supporting cast. In fact, it's so good that it was recently identified as the reason -- three of them, actually -- why he can become a dominant quarterback in 2025.
"The 2024 No. 1 overall pick should continue to ascend behind a completely retooled offensive line, and the defense already proved last year it has the potential to be a top-10 unit in support of Williams," Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon wrote. "On top of that, there's the presence of new head coach Ben Johnson."
That last part? That Ben Johnson guy? Yeah, he's the not-so-secret sauce that should unlock more than just Caleb Williams in 2025.
At least, he better.
Johnson has a near-universal reputation for being the best play-caller in the NFL right now, and with an offense in Chicago that has no shortage of talent, his ability to dial-up big plays and score points in bunches should remain.
Williams is joined by wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, as well as tight ends Cole Kmet and first-round pick Colston Loveland in the passing game. It's almost an unfair embarrassment of riches.
The offensive line, which was reinforced by Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman, as well as second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo, is now considered one of the top-five O-lines in the NFL.
It all adds up to Williams becoming the Chicago Bears' first 4,000-yard passer and leading the team on a potential playoff run late in the season. And, for Bears fans, that would qualify as a dominant year.
