{"id":860465,"date":"2026-04-08T07:22:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T07:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860465\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T07:22:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T07:22:26","slug":"bears-ben-johnson-sets-lofty-goal-for-caleb-williams-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860465\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears’ Ben Johnson Sets Lofty Goal For Caleb Williams Next Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Caleb\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams broke the franchise single-season passing record with 3,942 yards in 2025.<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears<\/a> quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off a record-setting<\/a> season. In his second year as the lead signal caller, he broke the Bears\u2019 single-season passing yards record <\/a>while leading them to an NFC North Division title. In the playoffs, he made several jaw-dropping throws that placed him on the path to be one of the faces of the entire league. Yet, despite Chicago\u2019s remarkable year and Williams\u2019 self-improvement, he still has plenty of room to grow, and head coach Ben Johnson knows this. Johnson recently shared his goals for Williams next season in an interview with BearsWire.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Johnson shared that part of what Williams needs to work on is improving his completion percentage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to be elite, we want to be that 70 percent marker,\u201d Johnson stated.<\/p>\n

Caleb Williams Had One Of The Worst Completion Rates in 2025\"Caleb<\/p>\n

GettyThe Chicago Bears led the NFL<\/a> last season with seven fourth-quarter comebacks.<\/p>\n

For reference, Williams completed just 58.1%<\/a> of his throws in 2025, significantly worse than his 62.5%<\/a> rate in his rookie season. Williams had the 34th-best <\/a>completion percentage out of all active quarterbacks last season, which was the worst among QBs that started more than 10 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ben Johnson broke down how Williams could improve this part of his game next season. \u201cI think when you look at it, for us to get to 65 percent completion even, cut that in half, we need to find 40 more completions over the course of the season. Well, let me tell you something. When you watch the self-scout, there\u2019s 80, 90, 100 completions we left out on the table. And I\u2019m not just talking about passes dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Johnson dismisses dropped passes in his statement, he isn\u2019t disregarding them at all. Johnson knows that Caleb Williams lost more yards <\/a>than any other quarterback due to dropped passes last season. He recently called out his coaching staff <\/a>to work on that very issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if Chicago decreases its percentage of dropped passes, a 70% season completion rate is still a lofty goal, as it would break the Bears\u2019 franchise record by a quarterback. Brian Hoyer set the record in 2016 with a 67.0 completion<\/a> percentage rate. Mitchell Trubisky then tied it in 2020. However, both of those quarterbacks played fewer than 11 games in their respective seasons. For Williams to average 70% across an entire season would be a feat that no Bears quarterback has really even come close to accomplishing. Yet, it\u2019s not Johnson\u2019s first time helping someone achieve it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ben Johnson helped Jared Goff surpass a 70% completion rate during the Detroit Lions<\/a>\u2018 2024 season. Goff\u2019s 72.4% clip <\/a>was the highest among all quarterbacks who played 17 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s expectations for Williams in year two of his system are high, but they\u2019re no higher than what the QB expects for himself.<\/p>\n

Caleb Williams Wants The Bears To Feature The League\u2019s Top-Ranked Offense<\/p>\n

During an appearance on Maxx Crosby\u2019s The Rush<\/a> podcast earlier in the offseason, Williams made headlines after stating his ultimate goal for next season. Williams proclaimed that he wants the Bears\u2019 offense to average 39 points per game<\/a> in 2026. He actively cited the Denver Broncos<\/a>\u2018 2013 offensive season as the one he wants to beat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Denver<\/p>\n

GettyThe Denver Broncos\u2019 2013 offensive season set multiple records, including the most points scored (606) and most passing yards recorded (5,572) while averaging 37.9 points per game.<\/p>\n

To do that, Williams acknowledged his need to improve his completion percentage and give his guys more opportunities with the football. He also expressed interest in commanding more at the line of scrimmage in terms of handling checks and protections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams initially made this statement before center Drew Dalman shockingly retired.<\/a> Even with the Bears trading<\/a> for veteran center Garrett Bradbury to replace Dalman, Williams will have to take more command over the offense. 2026 will look to prove many things for Chicago, including whether they are a true contender for the future. If Williams can achieve the goals that he and Johnson have set, then Bears fans are in for an even more exhilarating campaign next year.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Bears\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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