This past season was better than most in recent memory for the Chicago Bears, but now the expectations have been raised. To achieve an even greater level of success, the Bears need their head coach-quarterback combo to ascend even higher.
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams made history in their first season together, but they would both admit to only scratching the surface of what their pairing could bring.
Both coach and player received strong backing from Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
Bears’ Ryan Poles Lays Out Next Steps for Caleb Williams
Ryans Poles: Caleb Williams Responded to Ben Johnson for Bears
Poles joined SiriusXM NFL Radio on Sunday and said that Johnson was “on point” with his handling of Williams’ development, specifically regarding “missed steps” from the QB’s tumultuous first season.
Johnson openly challenged Williams from Day 1, and the QB responded.
“He [Johnson] set the tone early. Communicated clearly what the expectations were. And Caleb was all-in for it, and that’s what he was looking for. It’s one thing to say it. But then, we got on the practice field. You could see that come alive. If it wasn’t done the right way, we were going to do it again,” Poles said on “Movin The Chains” on January 28.
“We were actually in the exit meetings at the end of the season, and Caleb was kind of laughing about it, doing a long drive drill and starting it over five times. He [Johnson] was going to make sure it was done the right way, and you could see growth through that.”
Williams raised his touchdown rate and lowered his sack rate, the latter by an exponential amount. His interception rate increased by 0.1% during the 2025 regular season.
However, Williams can take a significant step forward next season with a simple adjustment.
Caleb Williams Knows Next Step
For Act II, Poles expects Williams to improve his efficiency. The QB’s 58.1% completion percentage was the second-worst among QBs with double-digit starts last season. Only J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings, who played in 10 games, was worse.
However, Poles’ expectations for Williams’ next phase of development were not just about his play on the field.
Poles expects to see more of Williams asserting himself with the team dynamic.
“I think Coach is going to challenge him to be even more efficient. Not only just for the operation, but just completions. And I think when you have special playmaking traits, and then you lean onto that mobility and escapability, I think, sometimes, you don’t take just the easy throw. So, taking what’s given to you, and moving on to the next down, and just staying ahead of the chains, and just being more efficient with the ball,” Poles said.
“I think that’s what he’s going to be challenging him on doing, as well as becoming a leader and a little bit more vocal. He was learning so much [this past season]. He was in the fire. I think, as he grows as a young quarterback, I think the leadership will continue to grow, too.”
Williams himself said that accuracy and footwork would be his focus this offseason. Moreover, he was already showing more noticeable leadership skills toward the end of the season.
The Bears are facing changes this offseason, but Johnson and Williams are in place.
After years of the situation being the other way around, where talented rosters lacked a quarterback to rival their peers around the league and a head coach who could put them in the right positions and keep everyone pulling in the same direction, this is unfamiliar territory.
In that sense, the onus is on Poles. He is the longest-tenured member of the Bears’ most critical triumvirate, who is entering his fifth season as GM and coming off his first winning campaign.