Opening night was too familiar for Chicago Bears fans. Once again, their quarterback couldn't execute with any consistency, and they lost the game. Caleb Williams had months to prepare for this game. He was coached by Ben Johnson, one of the best in the business. While his numbers weren't terrible, he missed several open receivers with throws that were just plain off target. If he'd hit even half of them, there is a strong probability the Bears win that game. It led to immediate speculation whether Williams might ever get over his bad tendencies of holding the ball too long and his streaks of inaccuracy. It has already led to the forbidden question that was inevitable if this situation came up.
Would Johnson dare turn to Tyson Bagent?
The backup recently signed a contract extension to stay in Chicago, which was a mild surprise, considering many feel he could compete for a starting job elsewhere. Everybody in the building loves him, including Johnson. He's been so impressed with his intelligence and work ethic. Still, it seems crazy to think the head coach would abandon Williams this year, right? Well, one source dropped some details on that. While it sounds like there is no plan to make a change anytime soon, it's believed Johnson won't tolerate games like Monday night for long.
"Nobody is panicking in the building, but Ben isn’t going to watch him miss big plays for 10 weeks."
Ben Johnson won't be afraid to pull the trigger if necessary.
It is abundantly clear that the head coach has high standards for the quarterback position. He will give Williams a grace period because it's a new offense, and it should take a few weeks to get comfortable. That said, Ben Johnson wasn't the problem in that game. He gave Williams multiple opportunities to hit big plays. Far too many of them were either missed or passed on because the quarterback didn't see it or wasn't willing to test the coverage.
Bagent doesn't have the same arm talent as Williams or the same athleticism. However, he does have size and accuracy and has demonstrated a clear command of the line of scrimmage. He sees the game the way a professional should. Johnson wants somebody under center he can trust. He might be willing to sacrifice the talent gap in favor of consistency.
