Chicago Bears Trying to Teach Caleb Williams to Work Smarter, Not Harder

A major point of emphasis for Caleb Williams this offseason has been making things easier on himself. Here's how the Bears want him to do that.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

One of the takeaways for the Chicago Bears' coaching staff last season was that Caleb Williams was working too hard.

No, not when it comes to preparing for games or working out, but rather when it came to making things happen during games.

As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer notes, Chicago is now trying to teach Williams that he doesn't necessarily have to work as hard as he did last season.

“We don’t have to work as hard for our money," quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett told Williams this offseason.

"Last summer, Ben Johnson, Declan Doyle and Barrett fed Williams through a fire hose, beating him down with information to build him back up," Breer explained. "This summer, I bet we’ll see more of the easy-money things Barrett references, to show the quarterback he doesn’t need to do as much of the spectacular to play winning football."

What does "smarter, not harder" mean?

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

We know this won't involve head coach Ben Johnson simplifying the playbook, so it isn't about that, although Williams will be helped by the fact that it's his second year in the offense.

Instead, Barrett wants Williams to make things easier on himself by taking what the defense gives him. He can do that by going through his progressions more instead of bailing out of the pocket.

"There's times where we could just work through our progressions and get the ball out on time instead of having to create and extend plays," Barrett said.

"We can be efficient and take what the defense is giving. You don't necessarily have to put the cape on and make those crazy plays because you already were killing them in the first three quarters," Barrett added.

Johnson has also mentioned Williams' ability to better pick and choose his spots to take off as something he needs to improve, along with his accuracy and completion rate.

But completion rate is a two-way street. Yes, Williams needs to be more accurate, but his receivers also need to avoid drops, which were a major issue in 2025.