Chicago Bears OTAs observations from Lou Canellis and Cassie Carlson
The recurring joke outside of Halas Hall is how the Chicago Bears cannot find good quarterback play.
That narrative was brought to the forefront last week when ESPN's Seth Wickersham reported how Caleb Williams' father, Carl, tried to circumvent the NFL Draft to put Caleb in a better position than the Bears.
Since then, the Bears have hired Ben Johnson, remade their offensive line and added offensive weapons in the NFL Draft.
Still, that narrative of being a quarterback graveyard wasn't just welcomed into Halas Hall under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
He wants to embrace it, and then change it for good.
"I love it," Johnson said. "I love the opportunity to come on in and change that narrative."
The backstory:
The narrative has existed for a reason.
The Bears have had three Pro Bowl quarterbacks since 1951: Bill Wade in 1963, Jim McMahon in 1985 and Mitchell Trubisky in 2018. Trubisky made the game as a replacement when Jared Goff went to the Super Bowl with the Rams.
The Bears haven't had an All-Pro quarterback since Johnny Lujack in 1950.
That history includes the Bears using first-round picks on Trubisky and Justin Fields to no avail, as well as trading first-round picks to acquire Jay Cutler.
Last week's report from Wickersham was basically gasoline on the raging fire, when ESPN reported Caleb's father, Carl Williams, said Chicago was where "quarterbacks go to die."
Changing that narrative, however, seems like a goal for Johnson.
"That's where great stories are written," Johnson said. "We're looking to write a new chapter here: 2025 Chicago Bears and looking forward to the future."
What's next:
Now, Williams has to put in the work to learn Johnson's offense.
Wednesday was Day 2 of installing Johnson's offense. There were some bright spots and some moments that require some major fine tuning.
What helps is how Johnson sees the immediate future as something unrelated to the past.
"I can't speak too much in terms of what it was like before (Williams) got here and when he got here last year, but for my four months on the job, he's been outstanding to work with," Johnson said. "We are focusing on getting a little better every day."
In terms of his teammates, Caleb Williams the quarterback has shown no desire to be anywhere else than Chicago.
"Caleb wants to be here," Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. "Caleb wants to win."
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