Bears' Cole Kmet details how Caleb Williams has improved under Ben Johnson

The Chicago Bears hired offensive guru Ben Johnson as their head coach this past offseason with the hope that 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams would eventually become a top-tier quarterback under Johnson. 

Chicago has since won eight of 11 games and sit atop the NFC North standings. Bears tight end Cole Kmet spoke with NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN about how Williams has improved as a second-year pro.

How Caleb Williams has impressed teammates since start of season

"His command of the huddle, just the way he's commanding it and getting the play call out, has been night and day from last year," Kmet explained. "That doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you think about what these guys are asked to do in college, where they're looking over at the sideline and SpongeBob or whoever is on the posterboard, versus now when Ben Johnson is giving you two, three complicated playcalls at a time and you've got to spit all of that out to us with confidence in the huddle, it's just all a lot smoother and more confident from him this year."

Concerns about Williams arose after the Bears started the season at 0-2. He then received a public vote of confidence from Johnson after Chicago suffered a 30-16 Week 8 loss at the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 26. 

That was the last time Williams was on the losing end of a result. According to Pro Football Reference, he heads into Week 13 ranked 17th in the NFL among qualified players with a 55.3 adjusted QBR, 10th with 2,568 passing yards and 15th with 16 passing touchdowns on the season. Kmet suggested those stats only tell part of the story regarding what Williams has offered the club since Week 1. 

Caleb Williams is part of Bears' new identity

Graziano added that Kmet said that "Williams' fourth-quarter heroics" are part of the "physical identity" the Bears wanted to establish. Specifically, Williams and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos completed the most fourth-quarter comebacks (five) over the campaign's first 12 weeks. 

Williams will next have an opportunity to impress a national audience when the Bears play at the 8-3 Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had Chicago as a 6.5-point underdog for that contest.