Bears News: Caleb Williams excited to work with Ben Johnson and new teammates

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Wednesday, April 09 2025

CHICAGO—One benefit of hiring a new head coach is the ability to kick off the team's voluntary offseason program early. The Chicago Bears took advantage of this opportunity on Monday, April 7, when new head coach Ben Johnson addressed the team for the first time.

Quarterback Caleb Williams said Johnson took the opportunity to lay the groundwork and expectations for what the Chicago Bears will look like under his leadership.

“He jumped out there, said a bunch of dos, said a bunch of don’t, set a precedent of what we’re going to be like as a team, finding our identity and all of that,” Williams said. “So, we’re excited. Obviously, we have to put in the work. Can’t be too excited because the work hasn’t been done, but definitely excited for what’s to come and the future.”

When he was in college, Williams formed an immediate bond with Lincoln Riley, his head coach for two seasons at USC.

Upon meeting Johnson and getting the chance to talk to him, Williams said his bond with Johnson is analogous to how he connected with Riley which seems to be a good sign for the Bears.

“I think I have a knack for being able to tell when I vibe with somebody and connect well with somebody and I would say it was a pretty similar feeling from when I met Lincoln (five) years ago,” Williams said. “A very similar feeling. Obviously, he’s different in his own ways and unique ways. But, a similar feeling for sure.”

His rookie season in the NFL during Matt Eberflus was incredibly difficult. Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times, had two different head coaches and three different offensive coordinators. With Johnson at the helm and Declan Doyle as the new offensive coordinator, this should provide some much-needed stability to Williams can develop into the franchise quarterback Chicago expects him to be.

The Bears' offseason additions, including trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and the signing of center Drew Dalman, seem to be a step in the right direction.

“Being able to have a first year the way I did, ups and downs, and then to be able to come in here, be as confident as I was last year or possibly even more and to be able to get here with the group that we have, I really can’t wait to get to work with these guys. We got a good group of guys personality-wise and then obviously talent-wise, it speaks for itself. What some of these guys have been able to do and some of the key pieces that we added so far to this team and so far, (we’ve) meshed well these past two days of introduction and now today of our first workout and getting after it. But, we’re all really excited and we can’t wait to put in the work,” Williams said. “It’s also us in the offseason, building that bond so that when times do get tough because it’s a long season, as I can say now, it’s a long season and so being able to build that bond off the field so when times get tough, we fight through it. We get through it and we keep going as a team.”

Like general manager Ryan Poles, Johnson is into analytics. One metric he is known to look at is expected points added (EPA). EPA considers down and distance and field position to assess how a team’s expected points change before and after each play. This makes it a good measure of the efficiency of each play. Johnson’s goal is always to maximize EPA, which Williams stated ultimately comes down to being accurate and decisive.

“I think it just comes down to details, accuracy, details. That doesn’t just mean physically and things like that. That means being decisive and being accurate mentally and sharp mentally and so and just being on top of it,” Williams said. “So, I think that starts from it, the decisiveness and when you get out there and you’re decisive, everybody plays a lot better when you’re decisive.”

With the draft approaching in about two weeks, much focus is on how the Bears can continue to improve their roster and who they should choose with the No. 10 overall selection.

While Williams did not mention any specific players he is watching, he did state he believes the Bears are in a good position to get whoever they think will benefit the team the most and can be developed with the talented veterans Chicago has.

“I think we’ll be trying to go for the best player that we can get and you always want to be in that position. That’s something that I’ve learned about and hearing from the vets and things like that and just being around this past year. When you draft and (are) in those positions, you want to be in position to get the best player and I think right now, we’re in position to be able to just get the best guy that we think is needed for the team,” Williams said. “The group we have right now is amazing and so and the holes that we filled through free agency, I think now is the time through the draft where you get to go and draft guys, the best players and then get guys to be able to develop them with people like Joe (Thuney) and (right tackle) Darnell (Wright) and all those different guys, wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, you get to kind of pick your poison and develop them.”