Ben Johnson has kept his messaging clear with Caleb Williams. He’s said the young quarterback has shown steady progress since the start of training camp. There is still a lot of work to do, but Williams is much better than he was a few weeks ago. The status seems to reflect this. Williams threw two touchdowns after a quiet opener against Minnesota and looked calmer and in control. However, that doesn’t seem to have quieted the outside noise. We already heard about Williams’ questionable work ethic last year, capped by a supposed undiagnosed condition of dyslexia from Tyler Dunne of Go Long.
Well, he’s no longer the only one to raise such concerns. Tony Pauline of Sportkeeda dropped an update of his own. Many around the league feel Williams is already on thin ice with Johnson. His inability to run plays efficiently is grinding on the coach’s nerves. Unless that changes, a breaking point feels inevitable.
For better or worse, many believe the second-year quarterback is at a turning point, and there are a variety of opinions on how it will all turn out…
…Many in the league believe Williams is struggling to mentally grasp Johnson’s offense. I’ve been told he has trouble communicating many of the plays he’s receiving from the sidelines, and before very long, those plays will be written out on his wristband. And while the off-platform throws Williams delivers can be spectacular, it doesn’t necessarily fit the structure Johnson wants in his offense.
It is apparent that Johnson wants things done a specific way. He won’t cut corners. If a quarterback can’t master the language of an offense, why should the coach believe he can win a championship? Those are things going through Johnson’s mind. He’s wrestling with the need to be patient and the fear he might be wasting his time.
Caleb Williams faces an uncomfortable reality.
Johnson accepted the challenge of taking over his development as a quarterback. The problem is the same many high draft choices run into. Johnson didn’t pick him. Sources informed SM that the coach was a big fan of Drake Maye going into the 2024 draft, despite knowing the Detroit Lions never had a shot at him. The point is Caleb Williams never felt like his type of quarterback. Johnson grew up working with more of your classic pocket-oriented types like Ryan Tannehill, Matthew Stafford, and Jared Goff. It seems only natural he’d learn to craft a successful offense around that kind of quarterback.
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This doesn’t mean Johnson is unwilling to be flexible with Williams. He’s already made adjustments to incorporate many of the young quarterback’s strengths. However, every NFL quarterback must still be able to handle pre-snap reads and complex information processing. Those two areas still seem to give Williams trouble, and it’s making life harder for the offense.
