The NFL had not seen a quarterback prospect as highly regarded as USC’s Caleb Williams since Andrew Luck sparked a controversial race for the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears selected the USC product with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but his rookie season didn’t unfold as anyone — except, perhaps, Bill Belichick — expected. After the disastrous campaign, the Bears named former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach to assist Williams’ development.
Williams gained national recognition after transferring to USC, where head coach Lincoln Riley facilitated his rise to stardom. Together, they resuscitated a storied football program that had wallowed in mediocrity and irrelevancy for years. By the time Williams was named the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, he was already being touted as a generational prospect.
His rookie seasons in Chicago didn't go to plan, however. Now, Johnson is already making strides to fix that.
Ben Johnson has already adjusted Caleb Williams’ pre-snap stance
In the early stages of Chicago’s organized team activities, Johnson has already taken steps to rectify Williams’ shortcomings. The second-year quarterback has adjusted his stance to keep his left foot forward before the snap.
“I’ve done it a number of ways in my time in the league, and really over the last few years, I’ve kind of gravitated towards that,” Johnson said, per The Athletic. “It’s something that I feel pretty strongly about. He and I talked about it, the reasons why we want to do it. I think it helps out certainly with the quick game from the gun, and then helps us being a little bit better at a throwing posture for a lot of the other things that we’re asking him to do.”
During his two seasons with the Trojans, Williams captivated fans with backyard artistry and the ability to throw from anywhere on the field, at any time, with an array of arm angles. Off the field, his name grew beyond college football as he struck endorsement deals from his Southern California penthouse.
As Williams dazzled with backyard football at USC, his flaws and mechanical issues were largely ignored. When every broken play, chaotic scramble and sidearm throw had gone his way, there was no reason to expect it wouldn’t happen again. Yet, the league has a way of humbling its newcomers. The talent gap shrinks at the professional level, and so does the margin for error.
In the NFL, the difference between success and failure can come down to fundamentals and detail. While Williams had momentary flashes of brilliance, he often held onto the ball for far too long, struggled with reading the field and missed opportunities to make plays in rhythm. At times, Chicago’s offense appeared to be moving backward more than it moved forward.
The Bears are hoping Williams will benefit from Johnson, who led the top-scoring offensive unit in the league last season. If the rookie head coach can fix his quarterback’s flaws, the Bears could have their first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman helped George Halas revolutionize the forward pass in the 1940s.