Former Lions OC Wants QB Caleb Williams to Clean Up His Attitude

Ben Johnson asking Caleb Williams to watch Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford film.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams arrives at a press conference introducing new head coach Ben Johnson | David Banks-Imagn Images

Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wants Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to carry himself better when things do not go his way and to make adjustments to his pre-snap procedure at the line of scrimmage.

With Johnson taking over as head coach of the Bears, he's hoping to help break some of the habits that Williams struggled with throughout his rookie season.

Known predominately as an offensive mastermind for his work in Detroit, Johnson is hoping to unlock the potential that the 2024 first overall pick possesses.

Since taking over, the Bears' new head coach has gone through film study in an effort to teach the young quarterback.

“Early in the process and watched some tape from a year ago and we talked it through,” Johnson explained, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s like, ‘Do we really want to? Is this what we want to look like or not?’ We come to an agreement, ‘No, it’s not. Okay, we learn from it, we move on to the next thing.’ Body language is a huge thing. Demeanor. We don’t want to be a palms-up team where we’re questioning everything. No, no, no. To me, that’s a little bit of a sign of weakness. We don’t want to exhibit that from anybody on the team.”

The second-year quarterback was praised for how he handled the uproar that came about when excerpts from a new book detailing his thought patterns prior to being selected by the Bears.

Both Johnson and Williams were candid with the media, focusing the narrative on moving forward and not what occurred with a regime that is no longer there.

"To Williams’s credit, he welcomed every piece of criticism in an effort to get better," NFL analyst Albert Breer explained. "Which allowed the staff to move quickly to a lot of Lions tape, to give Williams an idea of what Johnson would be bringing from Detroit with him, and Matthew Stafford film, to bring some visuals to what they’d try to work him toward technique and fundamentals-wise."

The Bears deciding to add Case Keenum to the quarterback room has been quite beneficial for the young signal-caller.

Keenum and Williams are spending more and more time in the facility learning and growing to understand Johnson's expectations.

What likely could benefit Williams is learning and studying how veteran Jared Goff is able to put bad plays and series behind him.

Oftentimes during his tenure in Motown, Goff has been able to rebound quickly from interceptions to lead the offense on touchdown drives.