Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams will be attached to the hip together for a long time as the future starts now in the Windy City.
This offseason has been about Johnson rebuilding his offense and working with Williams in workouts. The work done seems to have paid off for Johnson in a big way, but still has a lot of work to do.
Bleacher Report content creator Mitchel Milani created a video featuring the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year candidates. Johnson was number two on the list because of the work he has done with the Detroit Lions.
"He has this reputation as a young, up and coming brilliant mind in football. He is an offensive genius. That's his reputation," Milani said. "He is a great play caller. In my opinion, maybe the best play caller in football last season. He led the number one offense in the Detroit Lions last year with exquisite balance, incredible run game, fantastic play action game. Everything about the offense was art."
The compliments were high for Johnson, but Milani didn't back down when he talked about how Johnson needs to get Williams back on tract after a rough rookie season.
"He has to lift him to the promise of what we expected from Caleb Williams and to be honest, I thought Caleb Williams was pretty awful as a rookie. I'm much lower on Caleb entering the year than many other people because I thought he was bad. Outright bad. A lot of people blame the situation, the coaching, the offensive line, but I think Ben has a lot of fixing to do when it comes down to Caleb Williams when it comes to his pocket presence, when it comes to his ability to get rid of the ball and go through his reads, even apparently studying tape would be helpful for Caleb Williams. So can he maximize his talent and maximize the offense?"
Can Johnson take home Coach of the Year and is the criticism of his QB fair game?
On paper, the Bears appear to be a significantly improved team. The offensive line has three new starters on the interior after allowing a league-high 68 sacks last year. Chicago spent three of their first four picks on offense, with all those picks being within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
While the roster has improved and gotten younger on offense, Johnson has been coaching Williams hard at practice. The focus is on getting rid of the ball and not taking any more hits in the back than he would. Another focus has been on his leadership and his body language.
Williams didn't have a horrible season in 2024, but it also wasn't worthy of being number one overall. He completed over 62% of his passes for 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. The interceptions are solid, but 10 fumbles and the numerous sacks he took are where the criticism from Milani comes from.
This is going to be a work in progress as Johnson installs his high-flying, versatile offense with Williams running the show. Not everything can be put on Williams, and he is still capable of getting the job done. It doesn't help him to have three different offensive play callers and two head coaches in one season.
Read more: Caleb Williams can dominate the NFL in 2025 (and one NFL writer knows why)
Johnson is ready to bring stability and excitement to an offense that needs it, having finished last in total offense. Williams must be the man to deliver it, and he has the skills to do it with a perfect coach by his side.