The Chicago Bears enter the 2025 NFL season with considerable optimism. It's the first time fans have felt good about the direction of the franchise in a hot minute. New head coach Ben Johnson is the NFL's latest playcalling prodigy. He led the Detroit Lions to the No. 1 seed last season as offensive coordinator, masterminding the league's most explosive scoring apparatus. And yet, the vibes in Bears training camp are not great right now.
There is still a lot to prove for everyone involved in Chicago. Ryan Poles and the front office are under the microscope. Johnson is a first-time head coach. There are plenty of genius coordinators who don't quite translate to the top gig. And then there's Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick from a year ago who underperformed as a rookie.
Williams' talent is undeniable. He's a monster athlete, with equal strengths as a passer and a runner. But there are also concerns about processing speed and ball security. He took a league-high 68 sacks last season and tallied 10 fumbles to go along with six interceptions.
Johnson feels like the right football mind to unlock Williams' potential, but it won't come without hurdles. The coach's latest comments about Williams will not generate much solace for angsty Bears fans.
Caleb Williams sounds like he's behind the 8-ball after latest Ben Johnson comment
"There really isn't a ton of carryover from what (Williams) was asked to do the play calls or anything of that nature," Johnson told reporters, via CHGO's Adam Jahns. "I mean, he's always been very comfortable as a shotgun quarterback going back to college and even last year. He's very comfortable in a two-minute setting. He's very comfortable with tempo-type plays, and so now we're asking him to be a little bit more structured in terms of the play calls."
Johnson went on to discuss the changes in approach Williams is undergoing in this more dynamic scheme. The Bears' new head coach is asking Williams to stretch outside his comfort zone and add new elements to his game. So far, the progress appears slow-moving.
"Sometimes there's multiple calls," he said. "You know, there's shifts, there's motions, there's a lot more going on mentally than probably there's ever been for him. And so at some point, this thing will start slowing down, and he's going to be able to catch up and his physical ability will take over from there. But right now, because mentally it is what it is, he's playing a little bit slower than what he's capable of."
That last sentence is sure to strike a chord with Bears fans. "Mentally, it is what it is." "He's playing a bit slower than what he's capable of." That is not what Chicagoans want to hear when expectations are so high coming out of the Matt Eberflus era.
Bears fans shouldn't panic yet, even after Caleb Williams' slow camp start
While these comments are definite cause for concern, we shouldn't hit the panic button just yet. Williams is 23 years old and he's learning a new offense for the second time in two NFL seasons. Of course there's a learning curve, especially for a scheme with so many unique wrinkles. Williams will need to read the field in a whole new way, audibling based on different defensive coverages and implementing Johnson's chaotic brand of layered play calls.
Detroit's offense was a well-oiled machine, led by a veteran quarterback who's seen a thing or two in Jared Goff. But that offense was notoriously complex, often making a point to zag when most offenses zig. Give Williams a few months in the scheme and things ought to look (and sound) a bit easier.
Still, it's worth bookmarking this quote for future reference. If we get to the regular season and Williams still looks lost out there, then Bears fans might start moving their hands toward the big, red button.