Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams On Building An Offense Together

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams spoke about their excitement to work together in interviews released by the franchise. The former USC Trojans quarterback and Chicago's new coach are focused on building a successful offense together.

Jan 22, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson answers questions during a introductory press conference at PNC Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next coach. Johnson is an offensive-minded coach, looking to bring out the best in former USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams and Johnson discussed working together on the latest episode of 1920 Football Drive, a behind the scenes miniseries released by the Chicago Bears. With Johnson coming from the Lions, he faced Williams twice in 2024 and saw his talent firsthand.

“Standing on the opposite sideline from him this year, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for not only the talent level that he possesses but also the type of person he is,” Johnson said. “This is going to be really, I like to fancy the quarterback’s offense.”

Jan 22, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson answers questions during a introductory press conference at PNC Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Williams is coming from a season where both his offensive coordinator and head coach were fired before the season ended. Johnson could be the stability needed for a young quarterback and bring out Williams’ potential.

Johnson knows that Williams is a talented quarterback. His goal for the offense is to form everything around Williams.

“We’re going to tailor this right around Caleb Williams. It will not be necessarily what you’ve seen me the last three years. We’re gonna find out exactly what our quarterback does well and that’s really where we’re going to anchor on,” Johnson said.

Williams’ rookie season with the Chicago Bears did not go as planned. While Williams did pass for 3,541 yards and threw just six interceptions, the Bears won five games. Williams also led the league with the most sacks at 68. With the high expectations surrounding Williams, the season ended poorly.

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Upon Williams’ and Johnson’s first meeting, they spoke about the Bears’ 2024 issues.

“Our first time speaking, you know he addressed things that won’t work, doesn’t work,” Williams said.

Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was a Heisman-winning quarterback with the USC Trojans and had high expectations heading into the NFL. The Bears hired one of the top head coaching candidates, which is bringing the excitement back for Williams.

“I have friends over there at Detroit. Amon-Ra (St. Brown), you know, a couple other guys and teams don’t function that way. Offenses don’t function that way without a guy like Ben. He’s had many different quarterbacks, been around many different types of teams and things like that,” Williams said. “So being able to learn from him in those ways and execute crazy things that people like Tom Brady hadn’t even seen. That brings excitement.”

Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Johnson helped turn the Detroit Lions offense into one of the best in the league. The Lions ended the season with 2,488 rushing yards, 4,718 receiving yards, and 68 total touchdowns. Johnson is looking to keep the opposing defense on edge and keep the Bears' offense unpredictable.

“We want to keep defenses on edge, alright. We don’t want them to know exactly what’s coming,” Johnson said. “Multiplicity, formationally, schematically, to where when they see one formation and they’re expecting one play that they saw on tape, they get hit in a different direction.”

The Chicago Bears were the only team from the NFC North that did not make the playoffs last season. Chicago has multiple areas to fix, including building an offensive line to protect Williams. Chicago hiring Johnson to pair with Williams is causing hope and excitement around the offense and is a step in the right direction for the organization.