Bear Digest

Ben Johnson expected to make Bears QB Caleb Williams' life "utterly miserable"

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams is hitting a reset as he enters his first season under coach Ben Johnson, and life is expected to get pretty tough for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Bryan Perez

Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is undoubtedly one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the NFL. Even while playing behind a patchwork offensive line in 2024, Williams ended his first season by rewriting the Bears' rookie record book. He set an NFL record along the way, too.

Still, there's a lot of meat left on the bone after a year that saw Williams throw for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Enter new head coach Ben Johnson, who's viewed as the league's brightest young offensive mind. He turned Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff into a legitimate MVP candidate over the last three years in the Motor City, which suggests the sky is truly the limit for how much he can help Williams in 2025 and beyond.

But Williams has to be willing to accept that help, and by willing, I mean put in the work. A lot of it. Like, a lot of it.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport shed light on the kind of grind that Caleb Williams is facing under Ben Johnson.

"It's going to be really hard," Rapoport said of the effort Johnson will expect from Williams. "I don't know if he truly understands what it's going to be like."

"To get where they need to go, he has to embrace being absolutely and utterly miserable," Rapoport said.

Williams met with reporters on Tuesday and expressed a deep desire to do what's necessary to be great.

"Today we had our first quiz in the QB room," Williams said. "We went over a few things yesterday, talked about a few things and Ben walked in this morning, flung open the door, made a grand entrance and then we got to work, him testing us about what we talked about yesterday. Already first day in and challenging us.

"Everybody loves a challenge in this sport. It's one of the great things about this sport. Every day is a challenge and today we got our first one."

Indeed, Williams isn't the only player who must level up his work ethic under Ben Johnson. It will be a team effort, and it's something the second-year quarterback is ready to lead.

"We're all really excited and we can't wait to put in the work … That doesn't just mean us putting in time on the board, us being here working out, lifting, getting stronger, faster. It's also us hanging out in the offseason, building that bond, so that when times do get tough … we fight through it, we get through it, we keep going as a team."

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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