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Bear Digest

The Leg Up Bears Already Have With Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams Dynamic

The Bears have Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams finishing each other's sentence this year because they're so familiar, and it's an edge many lack.
Gene Chamberlain|
The Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams dynamic for a second year is invaluable, partly because so many teams don't have this.
The Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams dynamic for a second year is invaluable, partly because so many teams don't have this. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

It's another sign of the times in the NFL, as well as another reason why the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams meld is the greatest dynamic the Bears have working on their behalf going into the 2026 NFL season.

While the Bears move into the second year of this tandem operating the same attack, an article by The Athletic's Mike Jones details the change that has occurred within the NFL since last year on the offensive side.

There have been 21 teams who changed play callers since last year. That's 21 out of 32 teams who changed play callers. If continuity puts a team in an advanced status, and countless examples over the decades in the league say that it does, then the Bears should be sitting pretty heading into the opener with the Carolina Panthers.

These are 21 coaches who are not all new to the league as a play caller, although some are. One of the 21 is Bears OC Press Taylor, but he's not calling plays. It's Johnson doing it.

While some of these OCs are not new to the role, they're also new with the team and are working a different role with different people. The familiarity edge is missing there.

When training camp begins for the Bears later this month, they're already ahead of 21 other teams who have had new offensive play callers trying to either install new offenses or get their roster accustomed to someone new calling the plays on an old attack. It only impacts the Bears defense partially, as nine of their games are against teams with new offensive coordinators.

What it really means is Williams finally can get comfortable after he had a new play caller as a rookie, a new play caller in December of that year, and then a new one last year in his second season. He had to learn the new attack each of his first two offseasons and then apply them in training camp. Finally, he doesn't need to do this and can focus on Year 2 within the attack, and knowing what Johnson wants.

Tough to measure importance but it's there

"I think just starting off where we ended last year," Williams said after his offseason work ended. "Play calls, checks, man checks, alerts, kills, just seeing formations, or defensive structure and things like that. Making checks a little bit more, stuff at the line and things like that.

"I think just starting off, where we ended last year, I think that was a big jump for us and a big step. I think it's just getting better at everything we can, from pre-snap procedure, and not having penalties. Not having a maze. Then when bad things do happen, just being able to recover mentally and physically to go out there and execute, from there on out.”

Johnson even saw this as a goal they're meeting during minicamp.

"So, the more our minds kind of think the same, I think the better off we are in the long run,” Johnson said.

Finishing each other's sentence for them has just begun.

“I think getting to the point now there's times where he'll be saying something and it's full agreeance," Williams said. "He’ll kind of finish his sentence on some of these things of his mentality and how he wants to win and how he wants to play, and who our identity is going to be and being able to build towards that. He's obviously a lot more mature than me.

"He's older than me by many years. He brings a lot of wisdom to me. He notices things that I may not notice in the moment or things like that. So, his information, his knowledge, his wisdom and things like that, it goes a long way for me. I'm 110% in on whatever he says.”

It's an advantage many other play callers the Bears face this year will not have, and one the Bears must do their most to use to their advantage.

New Offensive Coordinators

For opponents on Bears 2026 schedule

  • Drew Petzing, Lions (2 games)
  • Zac Robinson, Buccaneers
  • Sean Mannion, Eagles
  • Frank Reich, Jets
  • Brian Fleury, Seahawks
  • Tommy Rees, Falcons
  • Pete Carmichael, Bills
  • Bobby Slowik Dolphins

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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.

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