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The Chicago Bears are hoping to bounce back after hiring new head coach Ben Johnson this past offseason. Johnson takes over the reins and has a young quarterback prodigy in Caleb Williams to work with, who showed flashes during his rookie season of the talents that allowed him to be the number one overall pick.
Recently, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky took to the airwaves to issue Bears fans a subtle warning that success may not be immediate under the new regime.
“(Williams) has to erase a decade worth of playing a certain style of football and rebuild the habits,” said Orlovsky, per NFL on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, Williams became known during his time with the USC Trojans for his backyard football style of play, constantly improvising and out-scrambling lesser athletes while making things happen on the fly.
Williams quickly found out that this doesn't work nearly as effectively at the NFL level, and Johnson will hope to help implement a more disciplined approach for his young quarterback moving forward.
However, as Orlovsky noted, doing so may take some time.
Can the Bears compete?
The Bears have the misfortune of playing in the vaunted NFC North, which was among the most dominant divisions in the history of the NFL a season ago (although you wouldn't know it from their collective performance in the playoffs).
The Bears were the lone team in that division not to make the postseason that year, and in 2025, they'll look to break their four-year playoff drought after adding some talent this past offseason.
However, any chances of real contention for Chicago rise and fall with the ascension of Williams, who is looking to combine his undeniable arm talent and athleticism with a more measured approach.
In theory, Johnson is the perfect head coach to make that happen, as he spent the last few years turning the Detroit Lions' offense into a juggernaut before bolting for the Windy City.
The Bears are slated to kick off their 2025 season against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8 in prime time for Monday Night Football.
