Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off one of the best seasons in team history, but what will need to work on to grow in 2026?
During interviews on Wednesday at Halas Hall, both head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles were asked about Williams’ development, and what the future may look like for a player that seized the attention of both Chicago and the NFL this season.
Needless to say, count Johnson among those who are most impressed with the young quarterback.
“Our quarterback’s going to be a special player in this league,” he said. “I think we did a number of really good things on offense, and yet we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we’re fully capable of yet.”
Williams threw for over 3,900 yards during the regular season, setting a new Bears single-season record, and he also threw 27 touchdowns, making him one of only a handful of Bears quarterbacks to hit that milestone.
Between that and his penchant for late-game heroics, Williams really rose in the eyes of NFL experts and fans alike, and the team is hopeful for big things in his future.
Before he gets to work this offseason however, Johnson had some advice for his young quarterback.
“My main message to him was he needs to get out of football for a little bit,” Johnson said. “He’s done a phenomenal job in terms of staying focused all year long. He put in a lot of time, a lot of effort. I thought he grew up as a professional. I’m Caleb Williams’ number one believer. I have a lot of faith in him.”
Poles, who used the No. 1 pick on Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft, said that his on-field heroics and athleticism had jumped out on tape long before he had gotten to Halas Hall.
“When you watched his college tape, you knew that some of those wild throws were part of his game,” he said. “I would say the one thing that stands out that I was happy to see come back was his pocket presence, his ability to escape. I think that is a rare trait that he has.”
Johnson said that Williams specially worked to improve his footwork prior to the 2025 season, and that there is one other thing that he would like the quarterback to work on in the coming year.
“He certainly got more comfortable with the concepts that we were running (on the offense) 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,” he said.
Johnson said there will be other points of emphasis that will arise during the spring practice sessions with the team, but said that he wants Williams to “hit the reset button” and to focus on resting prior to returning to Halas Hall.
