{"id":126566,"date":"2025-06-13T12:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T12:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/126566\/"},"modified":"2025-06-13T12:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T12:08:14","slug":"ben-johnson-building-trust-with-caleb-williams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/126566\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Johnson building trust with Caleb Williams"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your current vision of Summer Break Ben Johnson has him chilling poolside somewhere\u2013 umbrella drink, shades, zinc oxide across his nose \u2014 it might be time for an update. The new Chicago Bears coach<\/a> may have welcomed the end of the offseason program this week with the final round of organized team activities wrapping up Wednesday. But Johnson is also not the type to just shut it down and veg for the next six weeks.<\/p>\n

In fact, since his earliest days as an offensive quality control coach with the Miami Dolphins, Johnson has subscribed to a summertime routine he hopes to maintain during his first extended break as an NFL head coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always viewed the summer as a great opportunity to get ahead a little bit,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Because of course he has.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can get some creative juices flowing as you start studying some of the tapes from around the league and some other places \u2014 maybe college ball. I\u2019ve had a process that I\u2019m committed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a subscription Johnson has on auto-renew. So, yes, while he did acknowledge he\u2019ll \u201cprobably get away for a minute\u201d between now and the start of training camp in July, Johnson also will likely be spending plenty of time inside Halas Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be in and out of the office a good bit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After all, there\u2019s more than enough work to be done. Planning. Heavy lifting. Some creative-juice sessions. All of that. And with the Bears pushing to become a winning football team again as soon as possible, every bit of progress matters with Johnson believing they can walk into training camp next month with a bit of wind at their back.<\/p>\n

An early head start<\/p>\n

Johnson realizes he inherited a 12-loss team<\/a> that needed a hard reset. He also understands the confidence the Bears organization showed in him this winter when they hired him to become the overseer and catalyst of Caleb Williams\u2019 hoped-for breakthrough<\/a>. Thus, over the past four months, Johnson has committed himself to raising standards and setting expectations for his team. And he has been active in formulating a blueprint for Williams\u2019 Year 2 ascent.<\/p>\n

The early returns from Lake Forest? So far, so good with Johnson closing the books on the offseason program with a feeling of accomplishment.<\/p>\n

Photos: What we saw at Chicago Bears OTAs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs these guys walk away, they understand what the expectation level is.\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI hope they also understand our coaching staff a little better as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t fully come together as a full team yet \u2014 just offense, defense, special teams. But we made some headway there in getting to know each other. Really, training camp is going to be a lot about building trust. And we got a head start there.\u201d<\/p>\n

That head start should provide momentum when the Bears hold their first training camp practice July 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we come back,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cit\u2019ll be about the fundamentals and the techniques. They\u2019ll know what that\u2019s about. How we want to practice. What\u2019s allowed. What\u2019s not allowed. I think really, they\u2019re going to take that and run with it \u2014 our vets will.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just be able to focus on getting good at football plays from then on out \u2014 and situations. I\u2019m pleased with the progress we\u2019ve made. \u2026 We have a lot of work still to come, but we\u2019re right on track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth chart
\n\"ChicagoBears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up during practice at Halas Hall on June 10, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

For the Bears to stay on track, Johnson\u2019s connection with Williams<\/a> must build and a natural click must become obvious for anyone spending significant time around the training camp practice fields in late July and early August.<\/p>\n

Williams has had a lot piled onto his plate this spring. And the hope, as camp intensifies, is that the second-year quarterback will be able to display a heightened level of comfort and consistency that help the offense pick up speed on the way to the regular season.<\/p>\n

During OTA red-zone work Tuesday, Williams had passes caught in or near the end zone by teammates Josh Blackwell and Major Burns. Which, of course, is far from ideal. (Blackwell and Burns are defensive backs who provided early-June learning lessons for Williams.) Those inevitable \u201chiccups,\u201d as Johnson called them, provide avenues for improvement. Same goes for Williams\u2019 occasional struggles absorbing the playbook or his need to rep certain plays a few more times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of the growth process,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Johnson also understands now that each day on the grass with Williams will provide a few jaw-dropping highlights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a throw or two every single day,\u201d Johnson said. \u201c(Plus) the movement stuff outside of the pocket. It\u2019s what we thought coming into town here \u2014 the ability to create (is there).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Ready for prime time\u2019<\/p>\n

By this point, Williams has checked the arm talent and playmaking artistry boxes in Sharpie. Which is why the belief in his long-term potential remains so high.\u00a0 But the QB1 checklist extends much deeper. And it will be up to Johnson and his staff to guide the Williams through training camp with an eye on pushing for meaningful growth.<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 ability to maintain his artist\u2019s beret and paint palette to make magic happen on an open canvas will be key. But the Bears will also ask their starting quarterback to don the OR scrubs regularly, needing to become precise with the scalpel as a surgeon of opposing defenses.<\/p>\n

Photos: What we saw at Chicago Bears minicamp<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Working to find the proper balance between both skill sets will be critical. But Johnson has shown enough awareness already to understand his demanding coaching of Williams also must allow for some freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you get wrapped up when you\u2019re in the multiple-play-call game of being in the perfect play all the time for the perfect coverage and that look of the defense,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd really with him, it doesn\u2019t matter so much what the play call is. If it\u2019s the perfect play, then it\u2019s great. It\u2019s there. If it\u2019s not, then he\u2019s able to find a way to make it work. So I think there\u2019s a little bit of that that\u2019s going on right now and figuring all that out. But he has done a great job so far digesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s continued work in fostering Williams\u2019 growth will be closely watched throughout training camp and the preseason with the Bears augmenting their three-game exhibition schedule in August with joint practices against the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Bears coach also will build camaraderie with a coaching staff<\/a> he strongly believes in, a group he feels has a good blend of youthful energy and experienced wisdom from assistants with a variety of backgrounds that help enliven the football conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis coaching staff means business,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThey know what good football looks like. They know what winning football looks like. And they\u2019re committed to bringing that here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s commitment will include many summer visits to 1920 Football Drive in Lake Forest to set his team up for success.<\/p>\n

In assessing one offensive turnover during an end-of-game period from the latter stages of minicamp last week, Johnson was forthright with his spring progress report.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not ready for prime time yet,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was loud and clear over the last three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bears didn\u2019t need to be ready for prime time in May or June. But they will need to be ready in September \u2014 their season opener comes on \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d<\/a> against the Minnesota Vikings. The bridge between here and there is being built, with Johnson pushing to make that trek as smooth as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If your current vision of Summer Break Ben Johnson has him chilling poolside somewhere\u2013 umbrella drink, shades, zinc…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,1035,1036,30534,692,391,30535,2493,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-126566","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-bears","9":"tag-ben-johnson","10":"tag-caleb-williams","11":"tag-caleb-williams-offseason","12":"tag-chicago","13":"tag-chicago-bears","14":"tag-chicago-bears-offseason","15":"tag-chicagobears","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114675981357092100","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}