Bears QB Caleb Williams, new coach Ben Johnson already ‘vibing’

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Early in their pairing as the engine of the Chicago Bears offense, quarterback Caleb Williams senses a strong connection with first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

Williams, who played for Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma and followed him to USC, starts his first full offseason in the NFL in get-to-know-you mode with Johnson, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator hired in January.

“I have a knack for being able to tell when I vibe with somebody, connect well with somebody,” Williams said Tuesday in a break at Halas Hall, where the Bears convened for voluntary offseason workouts. “It was a pretty similar feeling to when I met Lincoln (Riley) five years ago, which is crazy to say. A very similar feeling.”

The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams had multiple play-callers and head coaches — Thomas Brown served as the interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired in November — in his debut season. General manager Ryan Poles received approval from ownership and team president Kevin Warren to make an unbridled pitch and financial offer to Johnson, who becomes a first-time head coach because of his offensive mind and development of quarterbacks.

Williams said the tests and challenges — quite literally — started with Johnson on Monday and continued Tuesday morning.

“Today we had our first quiz as a QB room,” Williams said with a laugh. “Ben walked in this morning, flung open the door, made a grand entrance and then we got to work with him testing us on what we talked about yesterday. Already testing us. Everybody loves a challenge. It’s one of the great things about the sport. Every day is a challenge.”

–Field Level Media