Through the first part of the NFL season, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has shown improvement from his rookie campaign last year, but the last three games have not looked great for him.
Over the three-game stretch, Williams has completed just 60.7% of his passes for 709 yards and one touchdown to two interceptions. This rough patch is sparking significant concerns from the fan base, as they want to see their quarterback play better.
In his final comments before the Bears face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9 action, head coach Ben Johnson answered questions about Williams. One topic Johnson dove into was the complexity of coaching accuracy and what he's working on with Williams.
"You make sure it's on the forefront of his mind in everything we do. It's the drill work, it's routes on air, it's the team periods in practice. You expect it to carry over to games.
"Man, accuracy is the hardest thing to — I'm not going to say improve on -- but really teach when you're a coach. A lot of quarterbacks, when they come into the NFL, they usually have it or they don't.
"You're always looking as a coach to, how do we get guys open cleaner? How do we help get aligned properly with our lower-body mechanics to where we can be most accurate with throwing the football? As long as it's a conscious effort every single rep, whether it's a walkthrough or over the course of practice, I do think those things add up and you see improvement over time."
Is Williams going to be able to hit the numbers Johnson wants him to in 2025?
Before the season, Johnson had a goal for Williams to hit 70% completion percentage by the end of the 2025 campaign. So far in seven games. Williams has completed 61.9% of his passes, which is 1% less than what he did in his rookie year.
This was the one aspect of Williams' game that Bears fans wanted to see get a boost right away, as he's got everything else. The natural arm talent is there, and he can use his legs to make plays, but he's been off-target way more than an average franchise quarterback should be.
One of the parts that most common football fans don't understand (this writer included) is that there is more to coaching accuracy than just boosting their stats on Madden 26. It can be anything from the release of the ball, where the shoulders are facing, and more.
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There should be trust in Johnson to get Williams where he needs to go, but this is a marathon, not a sprint.