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Caleb Williams validates Ben Johnson's expectations at Chicago Bears minicamp

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 9:39 PM ET

By most accounts, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had his best practice of the offseason at the team's minicamp session on Wednesday.

He led the Bears' offense on a 94-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by smart throws and safe completions, which indicates growth in coach Ben Johnson's offense.

It also proved that Williams is who Johnson and his coaching staff thought he was when they took on the challenge of rebuilding the Bears

“What we thought about [Caleb] was, when the lights are bright, that he was going to show up,” Johnson said Wednesday from Halas Hall. ”It felt like the game slowed down a little bit for him and he was able to just go out and find an open guy and get a completion. So that was good to see.”

If the game is really slowing down for Williams this early in his second offseason and first under Johnson, it's a great sign for what this offense is capable of accomplishing once the games count for real.

“It certainly felt like he had some good moments in there,” Johnson said.

The success of the Chicago Bears in 2025 and beyond will depend mostly on how well Williams and Johnson work together, and, more importantly, how quickly Johnson can develop Caleb into the quarterback everyone expected him to be when he was the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Indeed, it's only one minicamp practice. It's way too early to suggest Williams has arrived, or that he's taken to Johnson's offense before the pads even go on. But had Chicago's QB thrown a bundle of interceptions or missed wide-open receivers, you can bet the Bears' beat would've banged the apocalyptic drum.

For now, all is good with the Chicago Bears' QB1.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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