Something to remember about Ben Johnson is that he's a nerd. Not your new-age one who likes anime or video games. He is the classic version who is driven by numbers. Before getting into coaching, he seemed destined for a high-profile career in science and mathematics. So it is only natural that he would use numbers to help quantify what winning football should look like. There are plenty of factors involved, but one stood out above the rest when it came to the quarterback position.
Completion percentage.
It might be the most boring stat compared to yards and touchdowns, but its value can't be understated. Johnson believes that for Caleb Williams to ascend with the Chicago Bears, he must complete 70% of his passes every week. That is the bar set for the second-year QB. Many people felt this was somewhat unfair for a 23-year-old learning a brand-new system. Johnson told Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune that their opinions don't matter. If Williams fancies himself a future star quarterback, that is a number he should be able to hit.
“If you want to be a top-five quarterback in this league, you need to complete 70% or more,” Johnson said. “So to me, it’s just natural (to vocalize it). This is what we’re shooting for. I don’t mind it. It doesn’t need to be a secret. We don’t need to whisper about it. Like, we want to be a top-five football team in this league that is competing for championships year in and year out. And we shouldn’t apologize for that.
“Same thing with Caleb. He wants to be one of the best to play the position. Well, if you want to do that, you need to be able to complete 70% or more of your balls.”
Ben Johnson is backed up by evidence.
All one has to do is look at recent history to understand the head coach is correct. Here is a list of the past five seasons that saw at least one instance of 70%, how many quarterbacks did it, and how many of them had a winning record.
2024
- 5 QBs
- 4 winning records
2021
- 1 QB
- 1 winning record (Super Bowl berth)
2020
- 3 QBs
- 2 winning records
2019
- 3 QBs
- 2 winning records
2018
- 2 QBs
- 2 winning records
Even the Bears' own history backs it up. Mitch Trubisky's 2018 completion percentage was 66.6%, the highest in franchise history over a full season with at least 400 passes. Ben Johnson knows what he's talking about. While completion percentage alone doesn't determine the best teams, it goes a long way in improving efficiency and execution. None of the previous four Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks had a percentage below 67. Williams finished the preseason at 68%. He has work to do.
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