Bears take training wheels off QB Caleb Williams heading into Year 3
The Bears’ handling of quarterback Caleb Williams has veered all over the road during his short time with them, but their expectations seem to settling into just the right spot heading into his third season.
As a rookie in 2024, they treated him like he already knew everything and would sail effortlessly from USC to the NFL. Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron acted almost as if he was their boss, not the other way around. The flaws of that approach are well-documented, and even Williams saw them as he practically begged to be coached harder.
The team granted his request, and then some, by hiring Ben Johnson. Johnson coached Williams like a rookie, saying at one point he could throw out virtually everything he’d supposedly learned under Eberflus. He pushed so hard Williams believed his coach didn’t like him.
Now it levels out.
As he begins his third full year with the Bears, it’s time to fend for himself. There’s no extra help. With the allure of a contract extension that could hit $250 million on the line, he has to prove he’s worth it.
The Bears certainly didn’t coddle him with their moves and non-moves in free agency and the draft.
With a major concern at left tackle as Ozzy Trapilo likely will miss this season because of a knee injury, they didn’t sign or trade for a veteran and bypassed the position entirely in the draft last week as they took safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round and center Logan Jones in the second.
But again, Williams is not a rookie and shouldn’t need everything to be perfect to succeed. Tons of otherwise unsuccessful NFL quarterbacks have done pretty well behind a fortress of an offensive line and with an overwhelming arsenal of skill players. If they require all of that to thrive, they aren’t special.
The Bears’ offensive line has three solid pieces returning, and new center Garrett Bradbury started every game for a Patriots team that went to the Super Bowl last season. That has to be good enough for a third-year quarterback intent on proving he’s the franchise’s answer.
There was a net loss at wide receiver, too. The Bears had to unload veteran DJ Moore for salary-cap reasons, and their moves to offset that were minor: signing former Lions receiver Khalif Raymond to a cheap deal and drafting LSU speedster Zavion Thomas in the third round at No. 89 overall.
The Bears also stood pat at running back, which was justifiable after D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai helped them finish third in rushing last season at 144.5 yards per game. If Johnson believed they were sufficient and no upgrades were necessary, it’s hard to argue with his results.
While every move the Bears make has an effect that in some way traces back to Williams, even on defense because of the massive difference between playing from 10 down versus playing with a lead, the best thing they did for him in the draft was picking tight end Sam Roush. Johnson has a purpose for him, surely, but he’s third in line at that position behind Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet.
When asked before the draft why he believed Williams would keep climbing even as the team hadn’t done much for him in free agency, Johnson told the Sun-Times there was “no doubt” the quarterback was ready to step into his own.
“The reason I feel that way is because of how [last season] went from where we were early in camp to Week 1 to where we finished,” Johnson said. “I saw significant changes in his approach, his development. I’ve got a lot of confidence that this guy is going to figure this out to where he gets better year after year after year.”
Those who reach that level aren’t particularly concerned with roster churn. They make it work.
In the six seasons since Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed his 10-year, $503 million contract extension, the team has played 29 different wide receivers. Many were unknowns or castoffs. Mahomes went to two Super Bowls in seasons when the Chiefs’ offensive line had issues. He reached a conference title game with the league’s sixth-worst defense. He just finds a way.
Not only that, but the great quarterbacks turn pedestrian players into stars. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning did it all the time.
Williams has a long way to go, but his goal is to reach their level, and that’s what the Bears hoped for when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2024.
While there were flashes of greatness last season, often at the biggest moments, he still has plenty to straighten out. His 58.1 completion percentage and 90.1 passer rating aren’t going to fly with Johnson.
Playing for a coach who crafts clockwork passing plays, he has to get faster at recognizing open receivers. His throws must be more accurate and lead pass-catchers into open space. He needs better overall chemistry with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Swift, who has been dangerous as a receiver in his career.
Between the scheme and pieces, Johnson thinks enough framework is in place for Williams to make the jump. He was especially excited about what he can do with Loveland, Kmet and Roush on the field together and an overall faster crew of receivers.
“It’s going to give us a lot of flexibility here on offense,” he said after the draft. “It gives him a lot of versatility to work with. We can dictate some terms to the defense and make sure we’re always attacking.”
Stitching all of that together into a cohesive and prolific game plan is Johnson’s job, and the rest is on Williams. He’ll still have Johnson in his ear constantly, of course, but the moment has arrived for him to stand on his own regardless of what the Bears put around him.