The Chicago Bears saw exactly what they hoped for in 2025. It was Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams developing a partnership that led to success on the field. It wasn’t pretty. So many late-game comebacks were required. Williams struggled with consistency at times, while Johnson took some time to get a feel for what his players did best. However, once everything clicked, the results were terrific. Williams finished with the franchise single-season record for passing yards. The offense cracked the top 10, and the Bears won the division. Nobody was happier about that than Ryan Poles.
The Bears’ GM was under a ton of heat before the season. He’d overseen three dismal seasons since taking over in 2022, which included the two longest losing streaks in franchise history. Lots of people felt he didn’t deserve the opportunity to hire another coach. Still, Poles got the opportunity and made the most of it. Now he must trust Johnson to take the team a step further. That starts with elevating Williams to the next level. How will that be done? The GM explained the plan to SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Ryan Poles knows one last step remains for Johnson and Williams.
They already know how to deliver big plays. No offense was better at it in 2025 than the Bears. The frustrating part was the layups. Too often, it felt like Williams wasn’t able to complete more basic passes to stay ahead of the sticks. As a result, the Bears ended up in 2nd or 3rd-and-long a lot more often than preferred. That is why many of their drives ended in punts and why it was often difficult for them to get out to strong starts. Stringing completions together may sound boring, but it’s an essential part of successful offensive football.
Not all of it was on Williams, mind you. Chicago was among the league leaders in wide receiver drops. Advanced metrics say his completion percentage should’ve been closer to 65%. Still, that isn’t good enough for Johnson. His desired mark is 70%. Championship quarterbacks hover around that mark. Sam Darnold was 67%. Drake Maye was 72%. Ryan Poles has no doubt the two will spend the entire offseason working to fix that problem.
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