Ben Johnson sheds light on Caleb Williams’ preparation for Week 2 vs. Lions

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson met with the media on Friday and gave an update on second-year QB Caleb Williams’ progress following what many described as a disappointing Week 1 performance against the Minnesota Vikings.

“I’ve been very happy with the process so far,” Johnson said. “He’s very intentional with what he’s doing. He’s putting in the time. There are no shortcuts right now. … I’ve been very happy with how he’s been downloading the information.”

Williams finished Week 1 completing 21-of-35 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He ran for an additional 58 yards and a score. Overall, it was a fine performance for the 2024 first overall pick, despite what the mass of Caleb critics seem to be wishcasting against him.

Still, it wasn’t perfect. The Bears lost the game, and Williams’ second-half cooldown can be considered a big reason why.

But life moves fast in the NFL. Week 1 is a distant memory, and Williams can begin to rewrite the narrative of his second season in the league with a strong performance against the reigning NFC North champions.

Much of that second draft could come from his legs, according to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

“It’s something that certainly can provide a lot of value for our offense,” Doyle said. “It’s something that you don’t want to lean away from. You don’t want to say, ‘Hey, be a robot and sit in there.’ We want to be playing within our scheme, the plays that are designed for certain coverages and then [the] quarterback, you’re the eraser. You erase mistakes and you go make it happen.

“That’s his superpower is when he’s extending … We’ll encourage him to do that, to extend plays and go make yards. When he takes off, he’s pretty fast and he can roll. It’s something that we’re excited about in our offense.”

The Chicago Bears’ offense should look much cleaner in Week 2, especially if they cut down on the penalties that haunted this team throughout the opener.

Regardless, any success the Bears will have will come down to No. 18.

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