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Caleb Williams’ rookie season did not go as the Chicago Bears had hoped, but their 2025 offseason is going as well as they could have imagined. Since hiring Ben Johnson as its next head coach, the team is already expecting significant improvements in 2025.
Johnson and Williams have focused on their working relationship early in the offseason, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. After Williams said he wanted Johnson to push him as hard as possible, the two have created an “intense” atmosphere, per Cronin.
“The word I would use to describe this offseason is intense,” Cronin said. “It’s all about correcting the small things on the fly, which Caleb Williams was pleading for last year. He said, ‘Coach me harder.’ He got what he wished for. Correcting [small issues] has become so routine for Caleb Williams, who’s a really coachable player. That’s what’s stood out to Ben Johnson so far about the relationship that he’s building. Certainly, your play-caller is going to be spending a lot of time with your quarterback, but there’s a lot of intentionality with the specific one-on-one time that those two have together.”
Enjoyed this conversation from @GetUp with @JFowlerESPN, @DanGrazianoESPN, @RealTannenbaum and @EJManuel3 on the Chicago Bears' offseason, what we've learned about Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson's connection and realistic expectations for this squad in a loaded NFC North. pic.twitter.com/mbm1VP7ZK4
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) July 3, 2025
Williams threw for 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2024. While impressive numbers for a rookie, they did not meet the high expectations fans had of him. Many criticized Williams for his poor decision-making, subpar pocket presence and turnover issues. In addition to his six interceptions, Williams also fumbled six times.
The 39-year-old Johnson accepts his first-ever head coaching position off one of the best years of his career. Johnson led the Detroit Lions’ offense to another stellar season in 2024, earning the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in February. He earned 29 of the 49 total votes to claim the award over his colleague, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
As the clear-cut top offensive coordinator, Johnson was viewed as the Bears’ perfect hire. One of the biggest issues regarding his predecessor, Matt Eberflus, was his inability to successfully coach an offensive talent like Williams. Given the recent success of young, offensive-minded head coaches, Johnson’s hiring received near-unanimous praise.
While the Bears have their most preseason hype in years, they have routinely fallen short of expectations. Chicago has not made the playoffs since 2020, when it went 8-8 and suffered a lopsided first-round loss to the New Orleans Saints. They have not ended the year with a winning record since going 12-5 in 2018, when they still suffered a first-round playoff exit.
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