Ben Johnson chose the Bears’ coaching vacancy over other options for a lot of reasons, and certainly a $13 million salary is persuasive, but as he gauged opportunities in which he could be successful for the long run, he saw a bright future with Caleb Williams.
“Having a quarterback helps,” Johnson said with a big smile at his introductory new conference.
That was based mostly on talent. Johnson had little idea what it’d be like to actually work with Williams and how their approaches would mesh. That coalescence is still in the early stage and very much ongoing, continuing Sunday with the Bears’ visit to the Raiders.
Williams is being coached differently in every way under Johnson than he was under former coach Matt Eberflus, and that includes the communication being much more pointed. That’s led to conflicts between Johnson and Williams, but those “brotherly clashes,” as Williams described them, have been productive.
Johnson and Williams have said the relationship is working, with Johnson describing Williams as “very coachable” and Williams calling Johnson “a great coach and great guy,” and the initial indicators support that as Williams has improved each week and stands in the top half of the NFL in most statistical categories other than completion percentage.
“The more time we spend together, particularly in one-on-one settings, that’s where the guard comes down a little bit and you can really speak the truth,” Johnson said Friday. “We sit down, I get to know him, he gets to know me… And we’re just in the beginning of this, too. That’s the best part.
“I feel so strongly about him as a player, the direction that he’s heading. We’re just going to continue to get better, continue to grow together.”
Conflict is essential to that growth, and Williams didn’t seem to encounter enough of it under Eberflus and former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, both of whom spoke at times as though Williams was their boss. Johnson, conversely, is forthcoming with critical feedback and welcomes Williams to argue it out with him.
“We’re not called to be here to be friends or be cheerleaders; We’re here to push, to challenge, to support,” Johnson said. “It’s not what the player wants to hear all the time; sometimes it’s what he needs to hear. When there’s silence, usually negativity fills that void and breeds some resentment. If you feel a certain way — doesn’t matter if you’re the player or the coach — you need to bring that out and make sure we’re all on the same page.
“Caleb and I have a great relationship right now. I can’t ask for anything better. He’s wired the right way.”
This is far from a completed project, as Johnson said, but it gives the Bears a chance at the coach-quarterback connection they’ve long lacked.
They blindsided John Fox by drafting Mitch Trubisky, then Matt Nagy quickly realized he couldn’t get through to him. Nagy helped pick Justin Fields, then had no handle on how to use him, and the Eberflus-Fields pairing was a brutally bad fit.
Williams’ ceiling is higher than either of his predecessors, and Johnson was regarded as not just an elite teacher, but the top overall candidate.
Amid the coaching search, Williams was adamant about wanting to be coached harder, and he seemed to recognize immediately that Johnson could take him to a new level after an underwhelming rookie season.
“You’re just two fiery people getting after it,” Williams told the Sun-Times last month after mentioning that he and Johnson had gotten into it occasionally. “You clash, and those moments are important.”
They’re vital, more than anything, for his development. Williams can’t get better unless someone who knows what they’re talking about gives him an honest assessment, regardless of how harsh it might be. And each week in their first season together is an opportunity for him and Johnson to get closer to total alignment.
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