Bears' Offensive Overhaul Faces Early Struggles as Johnson and Williams Aim to Sync Up

As of August 6th, 2025, the Chicago Bears are still working to get a handle on their new offensive system under coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson, who previously helped the Detroit Lions achieve some of their most explosive offensive seasons, is now tasked with transforming the Bears into contenders. However, early into training camp, he has expressed dissatisfaction with the offense's progress.

"It was sloppy, sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point," Johnson said, noting that the team took some time to get going and "hear the pads clicking" before picking up the pace towards the end of practice. Much of the attention is centered on Johnson's work with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who the Bears are hoping he can develop into a major offensive weapon.

While Johnson has noted signs of progress from Williams, with the quarterback becoming "so much more comfortable right now", not everyone is convinced the pairing will succeed. NFL draft analyst Thor Nystrom offered a blunt assessment, stating "I think Ben Johnson & Caleb Williams will fail together. Ben Johnson is a director that writes out movie scripts & expects you to read the lines as written. Caleb can do without your script. This is a just a very bad stylistic fit."

If the Johnson-Williams partnership does not work out, the Bears could face a difficult decision about the future, potentially having to choose between the head coach and their franchise quarterback. This could even put the job of general manager Ryan Poles in jeopardy, should he survive, as he may be forced to make a defining choice between the two.