Work ethic is one of the most important characteristics of a high-level starting quarterback. Some (often unfairly) questioned whether Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had enough fire in him to reach his potential.

Those questions have been illegitimate for a while. His steadfast detractors took another blow when Ben Johnson took the podium today. When asked why he believes in Williams’ long-term potential, the Bears head coach gave a glowing review of his starting QB.

“It’s the coachability aspect of it,” Johnson said. “He’s doing a really good job of being critical of himself. We just had a walkthrough, and he’s a little pissed off. He said ‘man I had two more in there that I could’ve gotten a little bit cleaner’ in a walk-through setting. When he’s critical of himself and he’s taking to coaching, I know good things are coming down the horizon.”

Ben Johnson said of Caleb Williams: “Hopefully we can find a way to make it into the dance. I think he’ll be playing his best football when we earn that right. … I know good things are coming down the horizon. He’s going to continue to get better.”

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) December 12, 2025

Wait, but I thought Caleb Williams wasn’t coachable? That’s what the haters said??

Quite frankly, the haters are dumb. He’s a second-year QB who strives for perfection in practice. And yet there are talking heads out there questioning whether he has what it takes to be a quality quarterback?

The haters laugh at his 58% completion percentage and ignore the fact that he leads the league in throwaways (because plays break down quickly when he breaks contain) by a relatively wide margin. They nitpick every bad pass as if he should be a finished product in his second season and first under Ben Johnson’s offense.

Some questioned whether it was more important to win games this season or focus on Williams’ development.

Ben Johnson clearly believe they can accomplish both tasks at once, and they’ve done that this season.

They currently sit at 9-4, and Williams has shown much development in many key areas this season. Johnson had enough trust in him to put the ball in his hands on the critical 4th-and-1 late in the game against Green Bay. Any coach that doesn’t trust his QB would run the ball there 100% of the time.

Johnson trusted Williams in that spot because he had reason to. Williams has been clutch in those situations all season, including against the Eagles the week prior.

CALEB WILLIAMS FINDS COLE KMET FOR A 28-YARD TD 🔥

Bears lead the Eagles 24-9 with just over 6 minutes to go in the 4th 👀

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/okGAJBEPYh

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 28, 2025

The Bears have largely overperformed this season. Looking at the bigger picture, this season would be considered a success even if they fall flat and don’t win another game this season. Johnson has proven, without a shadow of a doubt, to be the right guy to lead the ship, and Williams has shown that he has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback if he cleans up a few areas of his game.

Still, they don’t seem to be resting on their laurels anytime soon. The Bears’ starting QB knows he needs to get better and, for once, there is a tangible reason to believe he will make the necessary improvements to do just that.

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