Bears head coach Ben Johnson is all-in on Caleb Williams after an incredible season that ended in a disappointing playoff loss to the Rams.
That’s a strong endorsement for Williams, though not surprising. Together, Johnson and Williams helped turn around a franchise that was stuck in the mud for years. The first-year head coach and the former No.
1 overall pick led the Bears to an 11-6 season, an NFC North title, a win over the Packers in the wild-card round, and they were yards from beating Los Angeles in the divisional round. For most of the season, Williams was outstanding and led his team to seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season, including besting Green Bay in the playoffs after trailing by 18 at halftime. But he was loose with the ball in the postseason, throwing five interceptions in two games. He only threw seven during 17 regular-season contests. Three of his playoff interceptions came on fourth downs, so they acted like punts but, still, he’ll need to tighten those issues up moving forward. During the regular season, Williams completed 58.1% of his passes for 3,942 yards, with 27 touchdowns and the aforementioned seven interceptions. He added 388 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and the second-year signal-caller’s passer rating improved to 90.1 from his rookie season mark . His QBR was 15 points higher than his 2024 performance . Williams will need to become more accurate moving forward, but his first year under Johnson showed the potential he has to be great. He just turned 24 years old, so there is a lot of potential for growth, but as he showed multiple times during the postseason, he makes plays other quarterbacks only dream of.Similarly, his miracle fourth-down strike to Cole Kmet to tie the divisional round game against the Rams will live on in Bears lore for decades despite the loss.Those playmaking skills attached to Johnson’s offense with an improved roster around him could make Williams one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. It’s clear his head coach knows what he has in him.Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.
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