Bears' Caleb Williams embracing expectations following shaky rookie season

Coming off a rookie season that was filled with more lows than highs, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams recently made it known he wants to become the first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history and complete more than 70% of his pass attempts as a second-year pro. 

During a Thursday appearance on ESPN Chicago, Williams suggested he's embracing the expectations many fans have for him after the Bears hired advertised offensive guru Ben Johnson as their new head coach this past winter. 

"Pressure's not a thing for me," Williams explained, as shared by Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "I don't think of it that way. It's not my job to care what the outside noise is and things like that. My job is [to] take care of everything in here and go out there and play. I know we didn't win as many games as we wanted to last year, but I didn't go 20 [touchdowns] and 20 interceptions and things like that. So, you know, take it for what you want, but no pressure is prevalent; pressure is a privilege, but you know the situation that I'm at. I don't think I have pressure."

Williams won four of his first six career regular-season starts last year before he and the Bears endured a 10-game losing streak. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus were both shown the door before Week 18, and Williams ultimately took a league-high 68 sacks. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Williams ended his rookie season ranked 31st in the NFL among qualified passers with a 46.7 adjusted QBR and a 62.5 percent completion percentage. Over 17 games, he passed for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. 

Johnson and Co. hope that the Bears bolstering their offensive line via the offseason acquisitions of Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman will help Williams feel more comfortable in the pocket this coming fall. That said, Williams learned when his headset went out during Thursday's practice that he needs to be better prepared for unexpected developments that will inevitably occur during games. 

"Ben came over to me after, and he was like, 'Have a few plays in mind if that ever happens,'" Williams said about that teaching moment. "That's more of accountability to me and to this team and having a few plays that if the clock's running down, headset goes out or it's spiking or something -- you can't hear the playcall -- it's a have a few plays, go out there and don't go out there palms up and complain and things like that. Keep going."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bears at +160 betting odds to make the playoffs this season. Williams will begin his pursuit of 4,000 passing yards when Chicago opens the campaign with a "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.