Ben Johnson sends blunt message as Caleb Williams is yet to reach a big target in Bears training camp
Quarterback is still improving
A significant part of Caleb Williams’ issues for the Chicago Bears last season were connected to his lack of accuracy. As a rookie, the first overall pick was 23rd out of 32 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage over expected, and he finished the season completing 62.5% of his attempts.
So, when coach Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago, he said that Williams’ goal for Year 2 is to complete 70% of his passes throughout training camp. So far, the quarterback isn’t doing it.
“I don’t have the exact number, but we’ve been underneath that bar, which happens,” Johnson said on Friday. “We’re learning, we’re growing. I think early on we were probably around 55. It’s gotten better as camp has gone on, but we haven’t hit that threshold as often as we’d like.”
To make things look better in the regular season, Caleb Williams’ main task is to master the footwork and its connection to the timing of the plays.
“It always starts with the feet. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. For a quarterback, it starts from the ground up,” Johnson added. “If you’re not aligned properly, you’re going to have inconsistencies with your target. Specifically, for right-handed quarterbacks, when you throw to a target moving from right to left, you typically throw it behind. You have to train yourself to open up enough to throw to where the receiver is going to be, not where he’s at. That’s something we talked about going into the summer break and something we still harp on.”
This is a different reality for Johnson. After three years leading a top offense with the Detroit Lions as a coordinator and with a veteran, established quarterback in Jared Goff, he knows it will take some time for the Bears’ offense to reach that point.
“It’s a good reminder for me, thinking about where I was last year. We played Buffalo in Week 14, so I can pull up that game plan and see that we’re not ready for some of those plays yet, to be frank,” he admitted. “Then I go back and look at the first game I called in 2022, against Philadelphia, and that game plan was nowhere near what the Buffalo one was last year. It’s about perspective. It’s the learning process, knowing where you start is not going to be where you finish.”
The Bears had a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Friday, and the teams face off on Sunday at Soldier Field. Next week, the Bears play at the Kansas City Chiefs to finish off the preseason. On Sept. 8, Chicago plays a big NFC North game to start the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings—and that’s when Caleb Williams’ accuracy will start being truly relevant for the success of the offense.
| Be part of the A to Z Sports community and vote in our latest Chicago Bears poll as the preseason gets underway. |