Most of what the Chicago Bears did during the 2025 offseason was centered on one thing: getting quarterback Caleb Williams on the right track after a turbulent rookie season. From coaching to upgrading and adding to the pieces around him, time will tell if they were the right moves.
In excerpts from a book by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, which was released this offseason, Williams lamented that he was left to watch film with little guidance during his rookie season. Of course, members of the Bears' 2024 coaching staff have not taken being called out like that lying down, and overall Williams probably learned a lesson about putting things like that into a public forum.
A new piece from Ty Dunne of Go Long is not flattering to Williams, and it's clearly one side of a complicated story about the Bears' 2024 season that no one comes out of looking good.
Former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long reacted to Dunne's piece by saying when he arrived to the Bears as a rookie in 2013 he didn't know how to huddle. Long's additional Twitter/X comments pointed to how there can be some development leeway for Williams right now.
Ben Johnson reveals why he why he was the right hire for the Bears
By all accounts, Williams welcomed and has taken well to hard coaching from Johnson. Last year's offensive staff was either unwilling or unable to do coach Williams like that, which set the stage for the result.
Heading into Monday night's season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Dan Wiederer of The Athletic asked Johnson how he makes sure Williams' commitment and preparation levels meet his expectations.
"We like to single out the QB. It's everybody in this building. We're professionals",Johnson said. "Everyone likes to think professional football is still a game. It's still a kid's game. It is. But this is also how we feed our families. And we're dependent on each other to get that job done. I'm grateful for the guys in the locker room. They all embrace that mindset. Everybody in this building, certainly when I see them, they're dialed in. They're locked in. I can't say enough good things about our whole roster from top to bottom. I have been thoroughly from the springtime through training camp and here into Week 1 with how locked in they are. So. Yeah. That's the expectation. We're all in this for each other. We don't want to let our buddies down. And that's the thought."
Johnson then got into some finer details, seemingly referencing how Williams was given little or no guidance when it came to film preparation during his rookie season.
More Ben Johnson this AM on creating concrete commitment expectations for Caleb Williams: "For all young players in this league, you try to show the runway of what a professional looks like. And you detail that this is what we need and this where we stand. Earlier this week, I…
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) September 6, 2025
"For all young players in this league, you try to show the runway of what a professional looks like", Johnson said. "And you detail that this is what we need and this where we stand. Earlier this week, I highlighted a normal game week. Day after game, this is what we should be looking at. Going into a Wednesday, these are the cut-ups we should be looking at. Thursday, Friday, bop, bop, bop, bop. It's helpful for young players to see what that looks like. And when you have a group of veterans like we do, they show us the way. More so than the coaches having to lead, the players and teammates, if they can show us the right way, the better off we'll be in a hurry."
It's easy to think Williams, as the No. 1 overall pick and a Heisman Trophy winner, should have come into the NFL inherently knowing every aspect of how to operate as an NFL starting quarterback. A lot of that work happens between game days, and a strong portion of that work happens off the practice field.
It sounds rudimentary for Johnson to outline a day-to-day plan for what film Williams should watch. But if that wasn't done for him last season, and at minimum it appears it wasn't done well enough, that basic weekly work plan does have to be laid out and communicated.
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The results will ultimately speak the loudest. But Johnson is setting high expectations for Williams, along with putting an actual plan in place to foster fulfilling them. The latter thing further proves why Johnson was the right hire by the Bears.