By John Rigolizzo
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson wants quarterback Caleb Williams to complete 70 percent of his passes during the 2025 season.
At a press conference on Wednesday, ahead of Bears training camp, Johnson set his benchmark expectations for Williams and the entire team for the six weeks of camp, the preseason, and the upcoming season.
“We certainly have goals that we strive for,” Johnson said. “It’s not a secret. I told him I would love for him, on the season, to complete 70 percent of his balls. So, you would like to think over the course of practice that we’re completing 70 percent or more. That’s hard to just magically arise in a game. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s one that we’re going to strive for.”
While a 70 percent completion percentage is lofty, it is achievable.
Last season, five starting quarterbacks hit that mark: Tua Tagovailoa (Miami); Jared Goff, whom Johnson coached as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions; Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay); Joe Burrow (Cincinnati); and Geno Smith (Seattle). Williams completed 62.5 percent of his passes last year.
Johnson said Williams is “ready to go.” He and Williams have been in constant contact all summer, and Williams wants his coaches to push him hard.
Johnson also discussed the “homework” he assigned to Williams over the summer. The first assignment was for Williams to familiarize himself with the offense’s pre-snap procedures: the play call itself, motions and player shifts, and cadence.
Johnson’s offense utilizes those procedures as a weapon against opposing defenses before the play even begins. He also told Williams to work on his footwork, to be able to be in the right position at the right time, and to throw with anticipation.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into that position, and rather than throwing the whole gauntlet at him, we’re just building it from the ground up,” Johnson said, noting that while the Bears have not yet practiced at full speed, Williams has shown improvement since the spring.
Offseason ‘Homework’
At his own press conference, Williams opened up about the goals he set for himself and the relationship he and Johnson have built.
Williams said he wants to become the first Bears quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, and agreed with Johnson’s goal of a 70 percent completion rate.
“That helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions,” Williams said.
“Other than that, you got to go win,” he added. “That’s success for me, that’s success for the team. And that’s all we wish for and all I wish for.”
Williams gave more details about his offseason “homework.” He said it was mainly footwork, which he worked on every day; he also worked on some short throws to his left, which he was missing during OTAs practice. On the mental side, he spent 30 minutes to an hour every day going over the playbook.
“It’s a constant thing, regardless if we’re here for the next 15 years together,” Williams said of the process of getting comfortable with his footwork.
“It’ll be something that I work in season, out of season, anything like that. I feel comfortable with it. We’re going to keep working at it, to be smooth, and be in rhythm [with] the plays, the concepts, play actions, under center, making everything line up and look the same, but be different.”
Williams also talked about how effectively utilizing the pre-snap process can give the offense an advantage over an opposing defense.
“It goes from how fast I can get the call to get it to the offense as fluid and smooth as possible, and then being able to get up to the ball and get going,” he said.
“And if we have checks and alerts, it’s not always having to, maybe run through the whole cadence. It’s like, ‘all right, we see it. I know what’s about to happen, get to the next play. Let’s get it going,’” Williams said.
“Because that’s one of our best friends, is being able to get up to the line, make whatever adjustments we need to make, and then get rolling and put the defense on their heels.”
Williams also discussed his relationship with Johnson. He said he would frequently call his coach and check in on him, ask him about his family, or just talk. He also said that when he was at the Bears’ facility, he would visit Johnson in his office and speak with him about football, as well as cars, each other’s hobbies, or engage in simple conversation to get to know each other.
He also praised Johnson for his rigorous coaching style.
“It’s been awesome,” Williams said. “We’re having fun. He gets on me, and it’s greatly appreciated that he does, being tough on me and realizing and understanding that nobody’s above anybody. All of us are one. And that’s how we’re going to march this season.”
