ESPN Reveals Ben Johnson's Likely Solution To Unlock Caleb Williams

Ben Johnson has never coached a quarterback like Caleb Williams before. His career has been spent working almost exclusively with players who are more in line with traditional types like Ryan Tannehill, Matthew Stafford, and Jared Goff. They make their money playing from the pocket and distributing the ball. Williams is a different animal. He comes from the new breed who seems at his best in the chaos, using his feet to create windows of opportunity.

People are curious how Johnson will adjust his offense to accommodate that. There are plenty of theories. Still, it isn't crazy to think the head coach will maintain many parts of the system that had so much success in Detroit. The trick is making it flexible enough to accommodate Williams' natural ability. Bill Barnwell of ESPN believes there is one thing Johnson won't compromise on. One method the coach is convinced can help any quarterback is through a time-honored strategy.

Play action.

The superlative: Most likely to dial up play-action

Bears fans are ready to see new coach Ben Johnson reimagine their offense. One thing I strongly suspect we'll see from the former Lions offensive coordinator is a heavy dose of play-action. In 2024, Detroit's Jared Goff threw just under 36% of his attempts with a play-fake attached, the highest rate for any quarterback. Caleb Williams and the Bears, meanwhile, used play-action on only 18.5% of their dropbacks, which was the league's third-lowest rate.

Johnson leaned into play-action to make Goff's life easier, using those fakes to create throwing lanes and vertical space for all the dig and other in-breaking routes Goff throws so well. The 39-year-old Johnson has already mentioned his focus on creating EPA (expected points added) in the passing game, and there's a clear gap between the play-action game and traditional passing exhibited by their respective EPA figures.

Ben Johnson understands what the numbers tell him.

Last season, eight of the top 10 quarterbacks who led the league in passing attempts off play action made the playoffs. The year before that, it was seven of ten. It seems pretty clear that there is a strong correlation between quarterbacks who heavily utilize play action and success on the field. Ben Johnson has been on top of this trend since the beginning of his time in Detroit. That is why he wanted to upgrade the offensive line and add depth at running back. His goal is to feature the ground game, forcing defenses to respect it. That will inevitably open up play-fake opportunities for Williams.

The number supports this. Williams had a higher completion percentage, accuracy rate, yards per completion, and fewer turnover-worthy plays on play action fakes. Maybe the previous coaching staff wasn't willing to explore that avenue further, but Johnson certainly is.