Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams played out of his mind during his 2025 rookie season. But it wasn't all smooth sailing behind the scenes. Operating under HC Ben Johnson, the young signal-caller recently admitted that the transition had some negative effects.

Williams opened up about a blunt conversation he had with running backs coach Eric Studesville regarding his early panic during the June 2026 minicamp at Halas Hall, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

“It’s a h*** of a lot more fun for me than it was last year,” Williams admitted. “I was saying it to Coach Studes, ‘Dude, I feel like I was drowning, trying to breathe or stay alive and wait for a boat to come around last year.’"

Williams wasn't talking about physical fatigue or a lack of confidence. He was describing the challenge of learning Ben Johnson's offense as a rookie, a system packed with new responsibilities and weekly adjustments.

Much of that frustration came from adapting to Johnson's scheme. The offense often required quick communication and pre-snap adjustments, leaving little room for mistakes.

For a rookie QB to master Johnson's intricate offensive scheme would be a monumental task. The system in Chicago demands a large volume of entirely new concepts, dense terminology, shifting weekly expectations, and complex pre-snap responsibilities.

Johnson spent six years on the Detroit Lions' coaching staff, serving as their offensive coordinator from 2022 to 24 before taking the Bears' HC role.

The load showed up in real ways during the 2025 season. The offense frequently looked rushed, with players scrambling to get lined up correctly before the snap.

The sheer volume of verbiage routinely had the entire unit racing against the play clock. What made it remarkable was how Williams still produced historic numbers despite it all.

He threw for a franchise-record 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Even so, his 58.1% completion rate pointed to the cognitive strain working beneath the surface.

Why Things Feel Different In Year 2 to Caleb Williams

One year later, Williams appears far more comfortable operating within Johnson's system.

Fast forward to June 2026, and that early mental friction has completely dissolved thanks to offensive continuity. Williams isn't wasting time translating playbook vocabulary inside the huddle anymore.

"Now this year, it’s being able to start what we finished last year... and speak the same language," Williams explained.

Chicago's coaching staff completely validated this Year 2 leap.

HC Ben Johnson noted that Williams smoothly orchestrates the whole operation with urgency and tempo.

“Everyone knows what the expectations are in the building, what meetings look like. There’s just a different level of, I don’t want to say comfort, but they know," Johnson said, as per the Chicago Sun-Times. "They know what it’s supposed to look like.”

Quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett added that the information is no longer "foreign" to him(Caleb). This allows for a massive growth in overall offensive efficiency and communication.

What do you think about Caleb Williams' growth? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey