Caleb Williams is going the extra mile to excel in new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson's offense.
Johnson, who was hired by the Bears in January after three highly successful seasons as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, has been tasked with tutoring Williams, the 2024 No. 1 overall selection. Williams, despite being the consensus top pick in last year's draft, struggled in his rookie season in Chicago, which saw offensive coordinator Shane Waldron fired before head coach Matt Eberflus was dismissed midseason as well.
Williams and his father, according to Seth Wickersham's book ‘American Kings', expressed considerable fear that the Bears would mishandle the former Heisman Trophy winner. The fears reportedly became reality last year, when Williams was reportedly left on his own to watch film. Waldron, who had been hired from the Seattle Seahawks, lasted until mid-November, when Eberflus fired and replaced him with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown. Eberflus was fired 17 days later and was also replaced by Brown, who became the interim head coach.
Now, Williams' development or lack thereof will, at least in part, be a reflection on Johnson, who had tremendous success in turning around the career of another first overall pick, Jared Goff. And Williams is doing his best, even if the methods are unorthodox, to make the most of his first season under Johnson.
“Williams wanted to be coached harder this season, and the Bears obliged by hiring Ben Johnson,” ESPN's Courtney Cronin wrote. “There were some bumps in training camp, but expectations are high for Williams in Year 2.
“Williams is trying to do his part to deliver on those expectations. He says he listens to voice recordings of his playcalls at the line of scrimmage and yells out his cadence while driving in his car to get more comfortable with using his vocal inflection as a weapon. Johnson said that the amount Williams is responsible for ‘mentally' is likely greater in this offense than it has been at any other point of his career.”
Despite the uncertainty of the coaching staff and apparent lack of direction, Williams still threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions as a rookie.
The Bears open their season on Monday, Sept. 8, vs. the Minnesota Vikings.
