The Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams number one overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Unfortunately, Williams’ rookie season was an ugly one, and the young quarterback struggled immensely on the field, especially when it came to avoiding sacks.
The Bears responded by bringing in former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the franchise’s new head coach, in the hopes that he’ll be able to maximize Williams’ potential the same way he did with Jared Goff in Detroit.
At the very least, Johnson has instilled confidence in his young quarterback, who set some lofty goals for himself earlier this offseason.
“Obviously I have self-goals, and that’s being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history,” Williams said. “That’s a goal of mine. Seventy percent completion helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions, and then other than that just trying to go down and score the most points that we can with each drive that we have.
“That’s kinda my self-goal, and obviously, other than that, you gotta go win. That’s success for me, that’s success for the team, and that’s all we wish for and all I wish for.”
However, it seems that Johnson still isn’t full confident that Williams can handle a full workload, and hasn’t decided yet how much he trusts Williams with the offense for the first game of the season.
“Ben Johnson says how Caleb handles the next 3 practice days will determine how much of a load Ben puts on him on Monday night vs Minnesota,” reported CHGO Bears.
Fans reacted to Johnson’s approach on social media.
“What does he mean load? This ain’t preseason. This the real deal. He either ready or he’s not,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“He’s our starting qb. He’s going to have to do whatever is needed for us to win…..what’s a load for a healthy qb1?” one Bears fan added.
“They got their QB on a Performance Improvement Plan before the regular season opener?” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how Williams responds in practice.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.