This is not the end of the world, but it is the sign of the first potential fracture when it comes to Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson ever leading the Chicago Bears back to the promised land. While Johnson primarily took this job to work with Williams, he may not be the exact type of player he thought he was getting. From the head down, Williams is fantastic. Upstairs is where I have always had my concerns...
Entering his second professional season with the Bears out of USC, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft does not seem to be operating under the same crashing sense of urgency Johnson seems to be guided by. Williams' nonchalant comment about getting better eventually would not fly under the Dan Campbell regime of Detroit Lions football, one Johnson flourished in.
Progress is progress, but what we have to remember that the NFL is an acronym of Not For Long.
“Whether it’s now or 10 years from now, there’s always going to be progress to be had.”
If the Bears do achieve magnificent things some 10 years from now, it starts by winning today.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams: “Whether it’s now or 10 years from now, there’s always going to be progress to be had.” pic.twitter.com/cl5GtpGl0u
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) July 30, 2025
The team has an outside shot at making the playoffs, so I would do everything I could to make them.
Chicago Bears fans, Ben Johnson may not have Caleb Williams' patience
Although patience is a virtue, we have become increasingly distracted as a society. We want everything to be had immediately, if not instantaneously. As soon as possible is no longer a request, but a demand. Given his stature coming out of USC, Williams will have this year and next to prove to everyone that he is the next Cam Newton, and not the next Jeff George. Talent is not everything...
As for Johnson, as long as he maintains his composure he could potentially have another shot at being an NFL head coach if his tenure with the Bears does not work out. Unfortunately, we have seen the Bears job devour great coordinators alive in recent years. It made Matt Eberflus look incompetent and Matt Nagy look like a bumbling idiot on the sidelines. It goes back to having a good quarterback.
The expectation is for Williams to be the next Patrick Mahomes, much to noted Nebraskan cosplayer Dylan Raiola's chagrin. Williams has the build, arm strength and ad-libbing nature to be the closest approximation to this generation's greatest NFL star quarterback. The differences are Mahomes went to Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs and he was ready to win right away in his first season as a starter.
In the end, I do think that Williams and Johnson will have a strong partnership to lift the Bears up into being a respectable NFL franchise once again. Truth be told, they are the two of the four most important organizational pillars I am the least concerned about in Chicago. I do not trust general manager Ryan Poles. Furthermore, The McCaskeys still own the team, and that is a massive problem.
Williams and Johnson do not have to agree on everything, but they have to attack each day head-on.