The Chicago Bears won the sweepstakes for much-ballyhooed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson when they hired him to be their next head coach, and their reason for doing so is to get the most out of rising star quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams has openly bemoaned the situation he was in last year, which saw him deal with two head coaches, three play-callers, and a lack of offensive instruction. Williams was begging for Johnson, and the way in which he's being coached is already light years better than what he had been doing previously.
Bears reporter Mark Grote said that Johnson got right into Williams' face after he was late on a throw in an uneven practice. Johnson later said that Williams' response to his chewing out was "awesome" while praising how coachable he has been in the early stages of his tenure.
Williams knows that if he wants to be great with Johnson, he needs to take his coaching and instruction as hard as possible. So far, the pair appears to be meshing perfectly, which is all that every Bears fan could ever hope to see.
Bears QB Caleb Williams responds well to hard coaching from Ben Johnson
The fact that Williams was able to set a record for consecutive passes without an interception by a rookie in what was a borderline untenable situation for most coaches is a testament to his talent. Williams recorded 3,541 passing yards with 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 2024.
Johnson played perhaps the biggest part in returning Jared Goff from an average starter to his old Pro Bowl form with the Rams, and now he gets to work with a younger player that has a stronger arm and more athletic ability. The possibilities in Johnson's offense are endless.
Williams will need to work on fixing his issues with holding the ball too long and taking too many sacks, but those issues can be worked on if Williams takes to Johnson's teachings and maximizes his talent. If he gets the timing down in the same way Goff did, the sky is truly the limit for this passing game.
After how the Matt Eberflus era ending, Johnson seems like a serious breath of fresh air.