The new Chicago Bears coaching staff recognized almost right away that the previous regime’s setup for Caleb Williams was laughably inadequate. They refused to give him any guidance on film study, expecting a rookie to handle it on his own. One of the more perplexing decisions last year was the refusal of the team to sign a veteran quarterback. Experts felt Williams would’ve benefited in a big way from having somebody who’s been around the league for a long time and knows how it works. Instead, they just stayed the course with Tyson Bagent.
Ben Johnson had no intention of making the same mistake. After putting together his staff, one of the first orders of business was finding a veteran quarterback to back up Williams. The decision proved an easy one. Chicago lured Case Keenum away from Houston, fresh off his efforts mentoring C.J. Stroud. The 37-year-old is widely revered as a terrific teammate with a great mind for the game. According to Albert Breer of the [MMQB](https://www.si.com/nfl/nfl-takeaways-jim-irsay-greatest-accomplishment-colts#_p3mwbdins), Williams is already taking full advantage of his presence.
> Progress, thus far, has been steady, and Williams is working at it. The Bears adding Case Keenum to the quarterback room was, indeed, intentional, and Williams has taken advantage of it, **in using Keenum almost as another coach after hours** (to work around the CBA-mandated limits on what the coaches can actually do with the players at this point in the calendar). And, on the field, Williams has been good for at least one “did he really do that?” throw every day.
Aside from being a highly accomplished backup on the field, Keenum has helped mold young quarterbacks with three different teams. It started with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, then moved to Josh Allen in Buffalo, and finally ended with Stroud in Houston. Williams is his latest project. The coaches are smart to essentially give him free rein to do whatever is required to tutor the Bears’ young starter on the intricacies of the position. It sounds like Williams is taking full advantage of that little loophole in the NFL rules. Even though Keenum may not know Johnson’s specific offense, it doesn’t matter. He still knows how to watch film, diagnose defensive looks, and condition the body and mind for Sundays.
