Bear Digest

Grading Caleb Williams and 2025 Chicago Bears' Awakening on Offense

Chicago Bears Final Report Card: It was unheard of but the Bears offense actually took on the look of cutting edge attacks behind their second-year QB in a special year.
Gene Chamberlain|
The biggest moment in 2025 for the Bears offense on another clutch throw by Caleb Williams.
The biggest moment in 2025 for the Bears offense on another clutch throw by Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Considering what came before this season, quarterback Caleb Williams already has lived up to hopes he is the long-awaited savior of a franchise.

A team generationally mired in the same rut by looking only to run and play defense has been opened up to the possibility of what happens when you run AND pass through Williams' arm and coach Ben Johnson's mind.

The difference isn't just like night and day. It's more like cavemen went from etching on the wall one day to designing and operating computers the next.

"I think we did a number of really good things on offense, and yet we haven't even scratched the surface of what we're fully capable of yet," Johnson said.

Some of their improved numbers say it best. They went from 28th in scoring and last (32nd) in offensive yards to ninth in scoring and sixth in yards. They went from 30th in percentage of drives ending in scores to ninth. They finished third in rushing one year after they were 25th, and in so many other ways the offense came to life after ending the vicious cycle of thinking inside the box.

Adding context to it all is the whole idea they did this in Year 1 of the Johnson attack, when he didn't even have time yet to make all the personnel changes he needs to best fit up his idea for the system.

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Also, it was a whole new attack. What happens when they arrive at camp and are no longer just trying to figure out where they're supposed to go on plays but actually know it and do it from experience?

"I think our guys are going to be a lot further along when they come back in the springtime," Johnson said.

The scariest thing might be this: Williams was in only his second year and first running this offense. When Johnson implemented it in Detroit, he had a quarterback well versed in about anything the league can throw at him. So, the next steps for Williams only figure to be better.

Once Johnson had a breakthrough in Detroit with the offense in 2022, they kept getting better. There is no reason to think it will be different.

"Up front, this offensive line, I feel like we have something to really build upon there," Johnson said. "We’ve got weapons on the perimeter. Our quarterback's going to be a special player in this league. I think it starts there.

"Our run game picked up as the year went on, which I think was desperately needed, particularly when we had these home games late in the year, it’s a huge part of what we do and what we're about."

The last time the Bears finished higher than sixth on offense was when Walter Payton was in his third year, 1977, in an attack easily stopped by good defenses because it was capable of moving the ball in only one way. You need to go back to Gale Sayers' rookie year of 1965 to find a year they were ranked higher using a more balanced attack. 

Here are the grades from a season unique in Bears history, truly the dawn of a new age after they discovered ways to move the ball they never dreamed existed.

Quarterback: A

Williams' only flaw is the need for a higher completion percentage. He wouldn't need to make so many big throws in difficult situations if he could achieve this. Williams' passer rating was only 90.1 in his second year, an improvement but not a huge one. The truly astounding aspect is how he got so much tougher when necessary. Down 1-8 points, his rating jumped to 101.2. Even facing difficult situations trailing 9-16, it was higher than his season mark at 92.6. He set the franchise record for passing yards, and did it in such spectacular fashion that it overshadowed his obvious problems with passing inaccuracy, especially early in the season.

The ability to improvise is his greatest strength and it's something numerous other QBs lack. With Williams passing in this offense, the Bears ranked 10th in yards after the catch (1,874) after they had been mired in the bottom half of the league for years. An impressive part of how they picked up in the passing game is they did it without sacrificing great intentions. Williams was no checkdown Charlie. The Bears were fourth in intended air yards (4,854). There is no statistic to properly reflect what he did on the pass to Cole Kmet to tie the divisional playoff game. Williams defined clutch. Ultimately, how do you actually grade all the great escapes and passes thrown made by Williams? He was like Indiana Jones on a football field in 2025.

Receivers: B-

Injuries, inexperience and not knowing the offense as well yet probably kept the overall group from attaining anything close to their potential. Luther Burden and Colston Loveland didn't really start playing well until the end of October yet Loveland led in catches and yards and had the NFL's most receiving yards among all rookies at any position since Week 9 (597). Burden wasn't far behind him wit th third most (481). Rome Odunze had a torrid start with five TD catches in the first four games but only one after that. Some of this has to do with his foot injury but his hands and not his feet ultimately proved the big question.

Officially he had only two drops but his big one against the Rams was a disaster. He was hardly alone in this regard, though. Burden had four drops, Olamide Zaccheaus five and even DJ Moore three. The Bears finished fifth in dropped passes with 29 in the regular season, according to Pro Football Reference/Stathead. It is probably the only blight on a year when they had the most passing yards by a QB in franchise history (3,942).

Running backs: B+

Only the inability to be better in short-yardage situations tainted the seasons of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, and those were mostly carries against the elite defenses they played at season's end. Those would be tough yards for any back in any offense. Swift had a career high in yards (1,087) and all-purpose yards (1,386). Monangai broke in ranking fifth in rookie rushing yards (783) despite being a seventh-rounder. He still needs big improvement in the passing game as his team-high six dropped passes and the team's worst pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus attest.

The Bears had a real problem adjusting with their running game in 2024 once they no longer had Justin Fields' running threat to divert attention from the running backs. Monangai and Swift ran with ferocity, power and speed and were able to establish a more conventional ground game that ranked third overall.

Offensive line: A+

Adding Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman to Darnell Wright transformed the Bears offensive line and made it possible for them to operate the attack the way Johnson needed, while giving Caleb Williams the time to throw he lacked as a rookie. The sack dip from 68 to 24 was almost laughable. They led the NFL in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.4) one year after they allowed a franchise record number of sacks and were last in sacks per game (4.0). In the running game, the Bears ranked third in yards before contact and No. 1 in yards before contact per rushing attempt. The backs had plenty of room to operate before deciding on the hole.

The Bears ranked No. 1 in pass block win rate and No. 5 in run block win rate per ESPN, while Thuney and Dalman made the Pro Bowl and Wright and Thuney made All-Pro. All of this was accomplished with a veritable revolving door at left tackle as Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Ozzy Trapilo and finally Thuney split the reps at possibly the most important position.

If they can get strong play and stability at this position, it's scary to think what they might do.

Overall: A-

The depressing finish, with three interceptions, overshadowed the fact they had the fewest turnovers this year while making their offensive transition. All the yards and points were impressive, but the fact they led the NFL in scoring in fourth quarters over the last half of the season meant even more because it was their trademark in comebacks.

Expecting something similar in the future would be unrealistic. Expecting an offense even more efficient and effective at winning is not only realistic but likely. Johnson set a trend and did not achieve an aberration in Detroit. His success continues in Chicago.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.