The Chicago Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft from the USC Trojans. The Bears were off to a 4-2 start in 2024, but things spiraled out of control.
Matt Eberflus was fired as head coach during the middle of the 2024 NFL season. Chicago finished with a 5-12 record during the 2024 NFL offseason. The Bears kept general manager Ryan Poles, and they decided to hire former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as head coach. What is one thing to watch for during OTAs for Chicago?
The Relationship Between Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson Will Be Something To Watch For the Chicago Bears In OTAs
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports listed one headline for each NFL team entering OTAs. The Bears are one of the more interesting teams to cover during OTAs and leading up to training camp. Podell said,
“One thing to watch: Quarterback Caleb Williams in his first offseason under new head coach Ben Johnson
Williams’ rookie season was mostly a wasted year of development. Sure getting plenty of NFL reps helped Williams mature as a player, but he also struggled mightily as well. He was the league’s most sacked quarterback after absorbing 68 of them last season, which is tied for the third-most taken in a single-season ever. Some of that was on the offensive line, but much of the blame is Williams’ too: his average time to throw of 3.13 seconds was the fourth-longest in the entire NFL in 2024.
New Bears head coach Ben Johnson comes down to Chicago after his Detroit Lions offense from 2022-2024 led the league in scoring offense (29.0 points per game since 2022). Seeing if he can coax Williams into getting the ball out faster, taking his checkdown when it’s available and throwing the ball away, aka playing the position smarter, will certainly be something to keep an eye on. “
Williams during his rookie season with Chicago completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed for 489 yards on 81 carries and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 6.0 yards per carry. It will be interesting to see what Williams will do in his second season in the NFL with an offensive minded head coach compared to a defensive minded head coach.
There is a lot of offensive talent for this football team. They improved the offensive line by trading for Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs. D’Andre Swift will be the starting running back for Chicago. D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and rookie Luther Burden III will be the starting wide receivers for the Bears.
Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland will be the top two tight ends on Chicago’s roster for the 2025 season. Loveland was a first-round pick for Chicago and Burden was a second-round pick for the Bears. There is a lot of offensive talent on Chicago’s roster. This is one of the reasons why they hired Johnson as head coach. It will be important for him to coach Williams hard during OTAs and other parts of the offseason. They have a chance to be a playoff team in 2025 if things bounce right for them.
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