The Chicago Bears have their fans feeling a shred of optimism for the first time in a very long time, as there is plenty of good reason to be bullish on the pairing of former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson.
Williams showed that he has a big arm and can efficiently lead an offense during his rookie season, and Johnson proved to be the most creative up-and-coming offensive mind in the game today as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator.
While Williams didn't set the world on fire as a rookie, he was able to flex his proverbial muscles with enough consistency to turn Chicago into one of the most desirable spots for any incoming head coach. Quarterback coach Jordan Palmer believes that Williams now has the perfect coach to help him evolve to the next stage of his professional journey.
Palmer believes that Williams will be a "superstar" once he and Johnson start meshing together in Chicago. To reinforce his assertion, Palmer says the combination of Williams' peerless work ethic and top-tier mobility will help Johnson unlock new areas in his offensive scheme the immobile Jared Goff may not have been able to pull off.
Jordan Palmer says Caleb Williams will be "superstar" with Ben Johnson's Bears
Williams completed 62.5% of his passes as a rookie, throwing for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdown passes against just six interceptions. Williams put up those stats while also setting a new NFL record for the most consecutive passes by a rookie without throwing an interception.
While Williams did have some decent weapons around him, which naysayers often point to when downplaying his success, he had to work through a lame-duck coaching staff, multiple offensive play-callers, and one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Williams made the best lemonade possible out of the lemons he was handed.
Johnson's first order of business when it comes to fixing Williams and the Bears' offense is improving the offensive line. After spending years helping mold the Lions' front five into one of the best in the game, Johnson will need to bring multiple new faces to mitigate Williams' issues with holding onto the ball too long.
While it remains to be seen how successful Johnson and Williams will be, Bears fans can go into the offseason excited about the passing game's ceiling for the first time in years. If everything clicks, records could be broken.