Training camp will test how far Caleb Williams has come in mastering Ben Johnson's offensive scheme and what he still needs to work on
As training camp approaches for the Chicago Bears, all eyes will be on quarterback Caleb Williams to see how advanced he is in mastering head coach Ben Johnson's scheme coming out of the extended break.The last time we saw Williams and the offense on the field, the unit was finally getting their hits back against […]
As training camp approaches for the Chicago Bears, all eyes will be on quarterback Caleb Williams to see how advanced he is in mastering head coach Ben Johnson's scheme coming out of the extended break.
The last time we saw Williams and the offense on the field, the unit was finally getting their hits back against Dennis Allen's defense.
Come training camp, the pads will be on and the defense won't be holding back anymore, and we'll really see how much Williams still needs to work on.
Johnson's scheme is a complicated one, but it builds upon itself. It's all about prioritizing the abilities of each player and relying on all 11 players to do their job and the success of the operation starts on the ground.
Which is why Johnson wanted to move Williams back under center, similar to how he used Jared Goff in Detroit, to maximize the run game and build into the play action. So far, Williams has been adapting pretty well to the noticeable change.
The other area that comes with that is the cadence, visualizing what the defensive look is going to be before the snap, and making checks if need be, at the line of scrimmage. During OTAs and minicamp, the coaching staff loaded Williams up with various play-calls and handling multiple plays coming out of the huddle to check into.
"We've dabbled here, there and everywhere really throughout the springtime," Johnson explained. "Some come a little bit more natural than others for him, but I do think we've seen him get better in really all facets."
For Williams, that's really what the priority needed to be. Once the play is live, he has the natural ability to shine and make things happen, it's all about mastering the pre-snap procedure in this offense.
"Sometimes you get wrapped up… being in the perfect play all the time… and really with him, it doesn't matter so much what the play call is," Johnson added. "If it's the perfect play, then it's great, it's there. If it's not, then he's able to find a way to make it work."
On the flipside, playing hero ball 24/7 isn't always going to bail you out, as we all learned by watching Williams throughout the 2024 season. Footwork, timing, route recognition, and pocket presence were all issues as well for Williams after the snap.
After the first few days of training camp, all of these things need to be second-nature for the Bears' young quarterback. There's not enough time to have hiccups at this point in the offseason, especially once other defenses come to town for joint practices and preseason action.
Based on all the reviews, Williams has been taking full advantage of every opportunity to get these little details engrained into his head to take on a more advanced workload during training camp. We'll see how it truly looks when he, and the rest of the vets, report back on July 22nd.
Chicago Bears’ QB Caleb Williams adds an unexpected dream to his growing bucket list after watching the top movie of the weekend
One day he’ll cross it off the list.
