The solution to turning around Caleb Williams for Ben Johnson could be less complicated than many make it.
It has already begun in many respects because Johnson's arrival and work with GM Ryan Poles brought about the rebuilt offensive line. It is this rebuilt line which gives the Bears hope their quarterback has time to throw.
The improved line and the guidance from Johnson are cited by CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles as probable sources for Williams' improvement in Year 2 within his article on how each second-year quarterback can take it up a level or two in their play.
The potential for tremendous improvement exists with Williams.
Every touchdown from Caleb Williams' rookie season
35+ incoming in year 2 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8VQEfYPwQN
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) July 3, 2025
That's because, as Pereles points out, Williams was utterly terrible at deep passing last year.
This wasn't the case in college.
"He completed just 22 of 80 throws at least 20 yards downfield, and over 41% of such throws were off target, meaning he didn't even give his teammate a chance," Pereles wrote. "Only Mac Jones was worse there."
And then the kicker: "The Bears just kept peppering deep shots, though. Those 80 attempts were most in the NFL."
Caleb Williams throws absolute lasers.
But here’s what most people miss 👇
His grip is higher on the ball then most, with more pressure on the middle + ring finger.
141 QBGrip
It gives him that signature spin and “pop” out of the hand.
The dude doesn’t throw — he snaps it. pic.twitter.com/AFoA7dLq8s
— QBGrip (@QBGrip) July 1, 2025
When someone is throwing deep so often there must be reason. Part of it was dumb play calling by Shane Waldron, then Thomas Brown. Most of it, however, was the down and distance. Even the worst play callers wouldn't force the ball downfield when there is little chance for completions. They just did it out of desperation.
Johnson was asked during offseason work how Williams becomes a more accurate deep passer.
"Repetition, repetition, repetition," he said. "I had that narrative in Miami when we drafted (Ryan) Tannehill in 2012, 2013, that he struggled with the deep ball, and you just keep focusing on it, you get close with your receivers.
Caleb Williams passed for over 300yrds against a healthy Jacksonville defense without a single route being married to his drop back steps/footwork with plays called by Waldron yet is considered a bust by “football people” 🐻⬇️
— Jarvis Redwine (@cherok1212) July 1, 2025
"It doesn't matter if you're throwing the ball deep, throwing it short, but it takes some time to develop chemistry. Once you get that done, then, usually, it becomes clockwork after that."
It never hurts to be more accurate, but the real way Williams gets bigger gains in the offens is through Johnson's play designs. Johnson manages to scheme open receivers, normally at closer range and not downfield.
Let’s keep it real. There’s no pressure in his face. It’s an inaccurate throw for Caleb and he puts his WR in an exposed position pic.twitter.com/oe70LAZFhh
— Barroom Net | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) December 27, 2024
Johnson often schemes it so shorter receiver routes are open and Williams wouldn't want to pass them up to risk throwing it downfield.
Last season only Tua Tagovailoa, Gardner Minshew, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Baker Mayfield had shorter average air yards on their throws than Jared Goff, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The same site says only Mahomes, Mayfield, Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson had lower aggressiveness percentages than Goff. An aggressiveness percentage is the percentage of passes that are thrown into tight coverage with defenders within a yard or less at time of completion.
So, Goff was throwing very few long completions and few into tight coverage. His average of 5.1 air yards per completion ranked 25th in the league.
Throwback to Jahmyr Gibbs’ BREAKOUT game on MNF in 2023
- 31 touches
- 189 total yards
- 6.6 yards per touch
- 1 touchdown
Detroit knew they had a SUPERSTAR running back after this performance 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GuVLzE2Q2r
— Crunch Time Sports (@officialctpod) June 4, 2025
The result was only Jackson (8.8) had more yards per pass attempt than Goff (8.6) did.
The Lions didn't throw the ball deep to get all those yards per pass attempt, one of the most critical stats for any team with Super Bowl designs. They threw it short, but Goff led the NFL in passing yards after the catch. They caught it short and ran.
The answer for how to improve Caleb Williams' deep passing isn't really repetitions. It can't hurt, and it will help with accuracy. But the real answer is just don't have him throw it longer as often.
This is a GROWN MAN drive by Jared Goff, he earned every bit of his future contract extension right here.
- Goff lead an 89 yard drive in the 4th QTR, hitting 4 different pass catchers & threw his best pass of the game when it mattered most with a TD pass on the DOT to Amon-Ra… pic.twitter.com/YgNK8bqyyA
— Lukas Klotz 🤝 (@1ukasklotz) January 22, 2024
The Lions schemed open the closer targets, hit for yards after catch, and were actually consistent on longer passes because they're able to catch defenses napping, like when they hit the Bears with the "Stumble Bum" play or a deep ball down the middle to Jameson Williams.
Much is made of the analytic number expected points added by Johnson. Pereles deals with this in the article but the best way Williams improves passing EPA is with bigger gains and more consistency in completions than last year.
This is extremely important as Ben Johnson takes over as #Bears head coach: passing game EPA now matters more than turnover margin 🔊 pic.twitter.com/dmAtQZLTy2
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) April 1, 2025
The way this happens is with Johnson's designs making for open shorter targets and YAC. Essentially, Williams throws shorter completions for bigger gains. Eventually, can open the way for his deeper passes when defenses try to adjust.
It's not rocket science, but for three years Johnson made getting receivers open into a science.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been labeled as a "mad scientist" the last few years. With that moniker comes a bit of a narrative. He's ready to destroy that narrative. pic.twitter.com/wlv51ZBJys
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 26, 2025
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