Bears coach says coming days will determine how heavily team leans on Williams in opener
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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams comes into his second season with a new head coach in Ben Johnson, a rebuilt offensive line and some big questions to answer.
Johnson is as curious as anyone to see how it all plays out, starting with the opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
“There is of course a giant unknown,” he said Wednesday.
The big unknown this week is how much the Bears will get from a young quarterback adjusting to a new system and staring at one of the NFL's top defenses. Johnson said the next few days will help determine that.
“I go back to when I was in high school going into game days, and we’d only throw it about five times,” he said.
“Now, we were a really good team — we ended up winning state my junior year, and I would come out of the game wondering, ‘Why didn’t we throw it more than that?’ As a quarterback, it goes back to, ‘What did the week look like in practice?’ I think that’s why the preparation and how it looks like on the field is so important. I think we’ll have a real good feel as a coaching staff for what we’re going to get out of Caleb on Monday night, with how he approaches the next few days.”
The Bears are counting on Williams to develop into a franchise quarterback and stabilize a position that has been a sore spot for a big part of the founding NFL franchise's history. He showed some promise as a rookie after being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick, throwing for 3,541 yards and just six interceptions, though it was hardly an easy season for the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.
Chicago lost 10 straight in the second half of the season and finished last in the NFC North at 5-12. The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after nine games and let coach Matt Eberflus go following a loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving.
Williams was sacked a league-worst and franchise-record 68 times, because of poor blocking and a tendency to hang onto the ball too long. But it's a new year and different circumstances.
The protection figures to be better after the Bears overhauled the interior of their offensive line. They made a big trade with Kansas City for two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and added center Drew Dalman and guard Jonah Jackson. Williams has an offensive-minded head coach in Johnson, who was hired after a successful three-year run as Detroit's offensive coordinator.
“I think knowledge of football and NFL football has grown even just sitting in some of the meetings this year and even today and going through our first game week and just understanding things I may not have understood last year,” Williams said.
“Whether that’s defenses, whether it’s offenses, whether it’s just scheme in offense or defense, I think I’ve taken a step there. I have to keep taking those steps throughout this year and many years from now. But I think Ben — I’ve said it multiple times — he’s been great for me. He has pushed me. But like I’ve said many times, he’s a teacher and he will be persistent until you get it.”
Williams and the Bears will be tested in a big way in the early going, with the Vikings coming to Soldier Field and a trip to Detroit the following week. Those two teams were a combined 29-5 last season, with the Lions winning the NFC North and Minnesota finishing second.
Teammates say Williams is doing a better job of reading defenses and getting the team set prior to the snap. And the Bears will certainly need that against Minnesota. The Vikings tied for fourth in the NFL with 49 sacks and had two players in the top 10 — Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
“I felt like my last (preseason) game up in Kansas City was one of my better games getting off the football and a lot of that is because of Caleb’s cadence, his rhythm,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “So he’s really developed in that regard and that’s a huge advantage for us up front getting off the football and getting on our blocks when the quarterback is dialed in.”
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