Last season, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams broke out under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Everyone who observed Johnson as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator knew he might have that effect on the Chicago Bears, and he sure did.
Part of what made Williams great is his ability to turn a broken play into a big gain for the offense. His mind doesn’t go to a run-first scramble at the first sign of trouble, but he has an escapability that puts a fear in the eyes of defenses. He will even make a throw after breaking out of trouble if there is one to be made.
Williams has natural-born speed to complement the other tools he has as an NFL quarterback, but he may have taken that to another level during his off-season training.
According to FS1 personality Colin Cowherd, Williams has become a slimmer player by losing 13 pounds. Cowherd asked Williams about it after Bears practice, to which Williams confirmed the weight loss.
“He told me 13 pounds,” Cowherd said. “I’m telling you right now, he was the fastest quarterback in the league last year. His top speed was 21 miles per hour. He’s not as bulky; he’s not as strong. Will that hurt his escapability? Maybe, but in terms of weight loss, he did it for a reason: to be more elusive, and he looked fast. He looked like a wide receiver.”
Cowherd also positively described the Bears offense, saying that there weren’t many dropped passes as Williams looks much more accurate. Johnson may have something to do with this, as he has goals for Williams to achieve when it comes to completion percentage.
Johnson doesn’t scheme too many plays that put Williams at risk, so they aren’t going to be using him as a ball carrier much, but it’s a nice ability to have when plays break down. You see elite players like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson make plays with their feet all the time, and Williams must do the same.
Johnson likely doesn’t want him having 500-plus rushing yards, as that probably means the offensive line is deficient, but doing what he must to score points is a talent that he has had on full display since camp began.
The Bears ended up having a division-winning year in 2025, but the beginning of their training camp didn’t have reports like this one from Cowherd. Instead, it was quite the opposite. They couldn’t get in a rhythm, Williams was inaccurate, and they had serious penalty trouble. Now, it is clear that improvement has been made on all fronts.
The focus now, ahead of the preseason opener, is taking that next step towards being ready for the regular season. Is Williams going to play during the preseason? That remains to be seen, but some of his first team offense teammates may get reps throughout.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: A slim Caleb Williams may be among the fastest QBs in the NFL
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vincent Parise, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
