Even as they insisted that there's little carryover between what the Bears accomplished this past season and where they'll be positioned for 2026, coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles couldn't hide their satisfaction with quarterback Caleb Williams.
"I’m Caleb Williams’ No. 1 believer," Johnson said Wednesday at Halas Hall during the team's end-of-season press conference. "I have a lot of faith in him and what he’s capable of doing and the player that he’s still striving to become."
That's the best news in a season that was full of positive developments. A Bears fan wearing the most orange-colored glasses would have been thrilled with an 11-6 record and a playoff victory in Johnson and Williams' first year together.
"The things we highlighted for Caleb to start the season — I do think they improved as the season went on," Johnson said. "We revamped the footwork a little bit last spring. I think the comfort level grew from that. He certainly got more comfortable with the concepts we were running over the course of the season. That’s something we can build upon. And yet there’s still a lot more that we can push through in that regard.
"I’m really encouraged about the steps he took this year."
