Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, In poor health. — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson has a particular purpose for quarterback Caleb Williams' second NFL season, and it is one which the crew will start to measure when coaching camp practices start Wednesday.
“I instructed him I might love for him this season to finish 70% of his balls,” Johnson stated. “So, you want to suppose that over the course of observe that we're finishing 70% or extra, or that is exhausting to only magically come up in a recreation. It is a lofty purpose, but it surely's one we'll try for. Due to that, we'll use that as a benchmark and type of work from there.”
Reaching the 70% threshold would require appreciable enchancment for Williams within the accuracy division. As a rookie, the 2024 No. 1 choose accomplished 62.5% of his passes (thirty first out of 36 certified quarterbacks) for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. That marked the fifth-best season by a Bears quarterback, however Williams' completion share nonetheless fell beneath league common (65.3%).
In truth, solely 5 quarterbacks accomplished 70% of their passes in 2024, together with Jared Goff (72.4%), who had Johnson as his offensive coordinator since 2022. Just one quarterback crossed the 70% threshold in 2023: Cincinnati's Jake Browning. No first- or second-year quarterback reached that mark in both of the previous two seasons.
Lofty or not, it is one in all two particular objectives that Williams additionally stated he has for himself in the beginning of his second season with the Bears. The opposite? One which has by no means been achieved in Chicago.
“[Being] the primary 4,000-yard passer in Bears historical past,” Williams stated. “That is a purpose of mine. 70% completion, that helps the crew, retains [the offense] on the sector, places us in higher positions. After which apart from that, simply making an attempt to go down and rating probably the most factors that we will with every drive that we now have. That is type of my self-goal, and clearly apart from that you have to go win. That is success for me, that is success for the crew.
“That is all we want for and I want for.”
Solely 4 quarterbacks threw for 4,000 yards whereas finishing 70% of their passes in 2024: Goff, Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield and Seattle's Geno Smith. To assist Williams take steps towards reaching these feats, Johnson despatched the 23-year-old quarterback into the offseason with a number of goals for coaching and pointers to hone his preparation.
“Get by way of the playbook half-hour, 40 minutes, an hour every day, 24 hours every single day,” Williams stated. “If you cannot surrender an hour or half-hour to go over your playbook, you most likely should not be on this place. It was simply small issues like that. Homework-wise it was primarily the footwork after which some left, quick throws that in OTAs [that] I used to be lacking. So labored on that each single day that I threw and went by way of my footwork every single day that I used to be on the market as effectively.”
One most important goal inside these homework assignments is to assist Williams minimize down on the 68 sacks he took as a rookie.
Whereas the Bears have improved the move safety round Williams with the offseason additions of guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and heart Drew Dalman, together with a three-player competitors at left sort out about to happen at coaching camp, the quarterback shoulders accountability for avoiding pointless hits and goals to place his offseason coaching into motion.
“A part of it's my footwork and that lining up with the play,” Williams stated. “That helps speed up the clock for me. The opposite half is being decisive, making a choice. After which the opposite half is taking what the protection provides me and never looking for that massive play each time, not being that younger cat and desirous to go and get that massive play, that massive scramble play or something like that. Generally that is only a checkdown of the ball within the flat, or the second learn that is probably not one thing greater than 5 yards.”
