Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t hold back last year, throwing everything at quarterback Caleb Williams all at once during the offseason. And after nearly completing Year 1’s checklist, Johnson is ready for another challenge to help Williams take even further steps in his game.
Last offseason, Johnson wanted the little things perfected. Communication in the huddle, the time it took from the huddle to get set at the line of scrimmage, how Williams related plays to the huddle, and the command he took in the offense. From Week 1 to the divisional playoffs, it was a different Williams.
Now in his third season, and second year with Johnson, Williams and the offense are ahead of the stick in that department. All the work done to perfect it in year one together is already making a difference in OTAs this offseason.
“The communication in the huddle, what it looks like to break the huddle, the urgency to the line of scrimmage, the tempo that we want to stress the defense with, the quarterback plays a huge part in that, “Johnson said. “He orchestrates the whole operation, and those guys have taken that to heart and so from that aspect, feel really good about where we’re at.”
Expectations in Year 2 with Ben Johnson
Now that those parts are checked off, the advancements Johnson wants to see with Williams to elevate the offense are to process what he sees faster. In two seasons, Williams has played in 36 games, where he’s gained experience. But in just his third season, there is still a lot more to learn.
Year 1 for Williams featured two offensive player callers and a fired head coach, along with 68 sacks, the second most in a single season in NFL history. Year 2 was a better Williams, working with Johnson for the first time, although the completion percentage wasn’t there. Williams flashed his arm strength and ability to extend plays, and now he’s polishing his pocket passing and getting the ball out even fast with reading defenses better.
“Now, it’s the next level of each concept, what are we trying to do and potentially expanding on, ‘Hey, here’s your progression, one, two, three’ to how can we accelerate our eyes, our vision? What are we looking for? Some coverage indicators to where we might take more alerts, things of that nature,” Johnson said. “A little bit more minutia with it, but those guys have been really receptive to it.”
Another key component that Johnson briefly touched on is the fact that the Bears quarterback room with Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum, who Chicago resigned this offseason, are all in the same phase of Johnson’s offense, helping one another. Even though Keenum throws on the pads at practice and on Sunday, he’s an extension of the quarterback coaching staff.
Caleb Williams’ development in Year 3
Johnson’s goal in training last season was to get Williams to 70% completion percentage on the season, which he fell well short of completing just 58.1% of his passes last season. But now, Chicago wants to take a deeper look into how to drastically address that number – and they’re considering all factors.
The team’s 29 drops, which ranked fifth in the NFL last season, played into the low completion numbers and Williams chances to become Chicago’s first 4,000 yard passer. Other factors, like Williams’ instinct to leave the pocket and create, also led to some mesmerizing but at the same time obnoxious throws. Those tendencies from Williams to roll out of the pocket led to not being able to make the easy ones from the pocket.
That’s now the part of Johnson and his staff that wants to ingrain into Williams. Yes, he has a special arm talent, which sometimes he wants to flash. But if you don’t have to, then don’t. Johnson wants what Williams sees to be fast, leading to more simplicity and possibly saving those moments with his legs for when he absolutely needs to.
“You get what you emphasize, that’s what I’ve learned in this industry, and ball security, takeaways are something we emphasize,” Johnson said. “We’ll continue to emphasize it. That shows up. Completion percentage is something that we’re going to emphasize, and so what did they get when they came into the offensive meeting today? They got the chart of what was our competition percentage yesterday, who had drops, what did our scramble drill look like, when those naturally occurred.”
Everyone compares and contrasts to either make themselves feel better or because those are the trends, especially in a league like the NFL, and it’s just how it works.
Josh Allen’s jump from Year 2 to Year 3 often gets talked about in comparison to Williams. In his second season, Allen had a 58% completion percentage, and in his third year, it jumped to 69%. His passing yards jumped to 1,500, and he had 17 more passing touchdowns. That’s the goal for Williams to make that leap that turns him into a good game manager into the elite franchise quarterback he was drafted to become.
What wasn’t addressed in the offseason, or brings doubts three months before the season starts, can be made up with the play of Williams and the offense. Simply outscoring teams has worked in the NFL, and that’s the Bears’ plan to improve on, making it more efficient and consistent.
“That’s really our first objective, just drawing more attention to it,” Johnson said. “Those guys are really critical of themselves in drill settings, routes on air, where the ball placement is. We wanted to give these pass catchers – we have so many talented ones – opportunities to run after the catch, and we’re being very critical on where we’re putting that football to them, and that’s something that we grade every day.”
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: How Bears HC Ben Johnson is challenging QB Caleb Williams in Year 2
Reporting by Preston Zbroszczyk , Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
