Developing a quarterback is not easy. If it were, plenty of head coaches throughout history would've kept their jobs. It is an art form that few have mastered over the past century. Some became famous for it, like Sid Gillman, Don Coryell, Bill Walsh, and Andy Reid. Ben Johnson understood what he was walking into when he took over the Chicago Bears job this year. He'd done incredible work for the Detroit Lions between 2022 and 2024. However, that came with an asterisk. All of it had been accomplished working with a proven veteran, Jared Goff.
Chicago presented a completely different challenge with Caleb Williams. Here was a young quarterback with immense talent, but also considerable inexperience in playing the position professionally. Last year's botching by the previous coaching staff didn't help. Johnson is quickly finding out that this process is taking longer than it did with Goff. That hasn't discouraged him, but it has forced him to re-evaluate what he must do. Over the past few months, he's come to realize a big obstacle still stands in the way.
He admitted it to Bears media on Friday: accuracy.
"You make sure it's on the forefront of his mind in everything we do. It's the drill work, it's routes on air, it's the team periods in practice. You expect it to carry over to games.
"Man, accuracy is the hardest thing to — I'm not going to say improve on -- but really teach when you're a coach. A lot of quarterbacks, when they come into the NFL, they usually have it or they don't.
"You're always looking as a coach to, how do we get guys open cleaner? How do we help get aligned properly with our lower-body mechanics to where we can be most accurate with throwing the football? As long as it's a conscious effort every single rep, whether it's a walkthrough or over the course of practice, I do think those things add up and you see improvement over time."
Ben Johnson is realizing a common truth with QBs like Williams.
They are phenomenal out of structure, utilizing their instincts and improvisational skills to pull off incredible plays. However, that free-flowing style doesn't function when asked to play with timing and rhythm. You must have complete command of the line of scrimmage, and just as important, complete command of your feet. Nothing determines accuracy from the pocket more than footwork. If your steps are too wide, too narrow, or wavering too much to the left or right, the ball will sail on you.
That has haunted Williams a lot this season, as he has completed only 61.9% of his passes. Not all of that comes from inaccurate passes, but a sizable chunk does. Until he starts mastering his lower body, those occasional sprays will continue. Ben Johnson and his staff are working tirelessly to improve it. This isn't the first time a young quarterback has dealt with this issue.
Steve Young did. Brett Favre did. Russell Wilson did. Josh Allen did. The trick is knowing if they're willing to put in the work and whether you have the patience to let them learn. That is where Johnson is at right now.
