Caleb Williams is finally showing the level of confidence Bears hoped would come in Year 2 under Ben Johnson
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is heading into his third NFL season and for the first time enters training camp working within the same scheme and with the same coach under Ben Johnson.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams kicked off his third NFL training camp on Wednesday, and for the first time in his career, he entered camp with the same offense and same head coach from the previous season.
That continuity under Ben Johnson and his offensive scheme could prove to be the catalyst for the leap many expect Williams to take in 2026.
Confidence within the offense, confidence in himself, and confidence with his teammates are all factors that should benefit Williams in his second year of working under Johnson’s system. Williams has proven he has the talent to be a surefire top quarterback in the league, and the stable infrastructure around him finally matches that talent.
“I mean, he’s got it all,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday at Halas Hall. “There’s really nothing I don’t think that he can’t do. It’s just the elite arm talent, playmaking ability, escapability; he has his legs that he can hurt a defense with. I mean, there’s just so many layers to who he is as a player.
“I think that word consistency comes up over the course of a 60-minute game or more if we need it to, where we’re playing high-level quarterback play throughout that game. You see flashes of it. And yet, we’re trying to tap into that where we’re just consistently delivering the ball where it needs to go, giving it to our guys around us.”
Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson both addressed what Year 2 should like entering training camp
Williams met with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, the first day of training camp, and discussed the complexities Johnson is adding on going into the second season working together.
“He’s adding more on my plate of figuring out the coverage before and having an idea of where I can go with the ball faster and sooner,” Williams explained. “It’s a little more detailed from play-to-play and specifics within the play towards the coverage that we’re attacking. Then, adding more plays in there so that we can kill, alert, and check to these different checks. We’re excited about that. I’m excited about the challenge he’s giving me to be able to take the next step and progress.”
Johnson knows Williams is a special player with God-given abilities that rival anyone in the league. He showed flashes of that throughout the 2025 season. The focus now shifts to playing a complete brand of football. Understanding the offense at a deeper level, improving his completion percentage, and refining the details of the position are all areas Johnson is working on with Williams to take the next step under this system.
“Things are starting to slow down,” Johnson said. “And so what we need to see here in camp is that anticipation, take it up a notch. I think with that the coverage recognition gets taken up another notch. I think there’s other ways we’re going to continue to challenge and push him, more of which are going to happen post-snap.”
The first day of camp already showed progress between the two compared to last year
Williams is set up for a much improved second training camp, and the early returns backed that up after the first day. The offense reportedly looked noticeably more polished on Day 1 than it did at the same point last year.
“It’s just confidence in the offense – not in Ben – but the offense in the sense of me knowing where I’m supposed to go with the ball and not second guessing,” Williams explained. “Being decisive. Eyes being in the right spot. Things like that. Not having to react so much in the sense of something shows up, oh I have to react. It’s more or less of, I know this is about to happen, let’s deliver this guy a good ball.”
That contrast matters when you consider where Williams was mentally during his first training camp under Johnson. Williams admitted last year that he felt like he was drowning with the new system being installed. He felt like Johnson didn’t like him at first because of how Johnson was yelling at him, getting the offense back out of the huddle, running plays back, and constantly staying on Williams throughout practice.
Williams realizes now Johnson’s intention. The high expectations are exactly what the Bears need to reach the championship level they expect to get to under this coach and with this young rising quarterback at the helm.
“I know we have a real common goal and it’s to find a way to make the Chicago Bears champions at the end of the day,” Williams added. “Everything he says and what he says to me, I’ll do it at 200 percent and won’t look back. That’s how it is now. If he yells and curses at me, I know it’s for the greater good of the team.”