Ben Johnson was hired as the next Chicago Bears head coach due to his offensive acumen and the culture shift his arrival will bring. His first order of business will be helping quarterback Caleb Williams reach his number one pick potential.
If there is one person who knows what makes Williams tick, it’s private quarterback coach Will Hewlett. He has been working with the Bears star since he was in the seventh grade. Their partnership continued through college and into the NFL. Essentially, Hewlett has and will continue to play a massive role in molding Williams as a quarterback.
And now, so will Johnson. The Bears new head coach was able to work wonders with Jared Goff on the Detroit Lions. And now as he prepares to join the Bears, Hewlett thinks Johnson is the perfect fit for Williams and Chicago, via Tyler Dunne of Go Long.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Hewlett said. There’s great situations in the NFL and there’s some that aren’t so great. But if you take a look at my Christmas List when all this stuff was starting to happen, that would’ve been my No. 1 choice based on my understanding of Ben and what type of guy he is and what type of coach.”
“I don’t know that there’s a better scenario that could have panned out for Caleb,” Hewlett continued. “Because the pieces are there. And I’ve got nothing against the old staff. “Flus” was great to me and I know Shane Waldron and it just wasn’t the right fit. Having an offensive-minded head coach and the mix of personalities, I think, now is going to be exactly what Caleb needs. Ben’s going to have a ton of fun with it.”
Caleb Williams has rocky rookie season
As a rookie, Williams completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He did a solid job limiting turnovers, and he had more passing yards than any of Justin Fields’ years as starting quarterback. However, Williams didn’t live up to his No. 1 pick status, and it was only highlighted by No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels going on a Rookie of the Year campaign.
For starters, Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times. Some of that was Williams fault, too often would he hold onto the ball too long. He will need to be more decisive in 2025. However, the offensive line in front of him wasn’t up to par. With new guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, as well as center Drew Dalman, in place, Williams has been put in a position to succeed.
Alongside his work on the field, Williams dealt with a litany of play callers as a rookie. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired mid season and he was followed by head coach Matt Eberflus. Williams never had a true chance to find his foot and set his foundation into Chicago.
But as Johnson comes to town, that has all changed. All eyes are on Williams and the offense has been built around him. It’s now up to the quarterback to prove why he went No. 1 overall.
Ben Johnson to the rescue
While it’ll ultimately be up to Williams, he will have a star teacher in Johnson. He was considered arguably the most coveted coaching candidate available on the market and is lauded for his offensive mind. Their pairing will determine how strong the Bears will be.
During the 2024 season, Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns, ranking second in yardage and fourth in touchdowns. It was a snapchat of Johnson’s work in Detroit. The Lions ranked eighth in passing in 2022 (251.8 yards per game) and second in 2023, averaging 258.9 yards per game.
In turn, the Bears ranked 31st in passing offense in 2024, averaging 181.5 YPG. Only the New England Patriots were worse. So while Chicago has plenty of potential, Johnson will have his work cut out for him when he enters the Windy City.
With a player like Williams to build around however, Johnson couldn’t turn down the opportunity. After helping the Lions reach their offensive ceiling, Johnson is ready to help Williams and the Bears reach the next level.
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