New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said many impressive things during his introductory press conference at Halas Hall today. Still, perhaps the most impressive was the sneak peek he gave us into the plan for his playbook and how it will impact Caleb Williams’ development moving forward.
Johnson was asked what level of impact Caleb Williams being in Chicago had on his decision to take the job as the head coach of the Bears, and Johnson didn’t mince words with his answer.
“Modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven; that is no secret. You can look at analytics; right now, quarterback success is a higher predictor of winning and losing than turnover ratio, which it’s been for 20-plus years. That’s changed.
“There’s no doubt that Caleb played a large component into my decision. He is a phenomenal talent that had, as many quarterbacks do, an up and down rookie year.”
How does Ben Johnson plan to ensure a smoother second season for Caleb Williams?
I think we can all agree with Johnson’s assessment there. Williams is a phenomenal talent, and he did experience plenty of peaks and valleys this season with the Bears. Williams’ most significant setback was the chaos that played out on the coaching staff. The hiring of Shane Waldron, Waldron’s overly-complicated and, in many ways, outdated, offensive design for the rookie quarterback, and then his eventual dismissal and a second offensive play-caller in his first season.
The way things played out with the OC hire (and ultimately the firing of Matt Eberflus) was precisely what Bears fans were most afraid of when Ryan Poles and the Bears front office decided to retain Eberflus for the 2024 season.
The question now is how Ben Johnson will avoid all that and immediately begin to maximize his quarterback’s potential. Johnson’s first order of business is to design an entirely new offense from the ground up for Caleb Williams.
“Where I see my role is as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind. This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there. No, we’re ripping this thing down to the studs and we’re going to build it up with him first and foremost and then with the pieces around him next.”
So there you have it. For those wondering what Johnson’s offense in Chicago would look like, we’re going to have a completely new design built around Caleb Williams and the weapons around him.
Johnson mentioned making all his players the best version of themselves multiple times during his introductory press conference, and his plan for the offensive design speaks to that concept as strongly as possible.
When we knew that Eberflus would be out the door, the focus became: how will the Bears maximize Caleb Williams? Bringing in the league’s premier offensive-minded head coaching candidate is one way. Said candidate building an entirely new offense centered around the franchise’s most valuable asset is the icing on the cake.