It is hard to level much criticism at Ben Johnson these days. The Chicago Bears head coach took over an offense that was dead last in 2024 and has it ranked 6th with six games to play this year. That is a remarkable achievement, especially with an organization notorious for offensive ineptitude. Still, it hasn’t quite been perfect. Some critics remain concerned about the development of quarterback Caleb Williams. The central point of contention is his alarming 59% completion percentage, indicating an accuracy issue that has persisted for most of the season.

Experts who have evaluated the offense since the season began have noticed one particular part of Johnson’s scheme that may explain this. It is a relative lack of a quick passing game. There aren’t many options for the quarterback to throw short, high-percentage passes. The criticism is that this puts too much pressure on Williams to be accurate at all times, which explains his struggles finding a rhythm early in games. Johnson was asked about this recently. He seemed unmoved.

“For some guys I’ve been around, it’s, ‘Hey, let’s just get them a couple completions on quick game. Let’s go to quick game and get the ball out of his hands quick (with) shorter throws. Get him back on track, get in a rhythm,’” Johnson said on Monday. “Each guy’s a little bit different. I don’t know that that’s the answer necessarily for Caleb. I have some thoughts on that. I do think he settled down once we got through a few of those missed ones, and he ended up making some big ones for us as well. (It’s) something we’ll continue to work through.”

Ben Johnson doesn’t seem convinced Williams would benefit from such an approach.

Why? Part of it may be due to the quarterback’s still somewhat erratic mechanics. His footwork remains a work in progress. Williams even admitted it got away from him multiple times last weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Switching to a quick game doesn’t automatically mean it will solve the underlying issue. More than that, Ben Johnson likely doesn’t think a quick game is necessary because of two factors.

1. The protection of the offensive line has been terrific this year
2. Receivers are consistently open

Why settle for shorter completions when the opportunity is constantly there to gash defenses all day? That doesn’t compute for Ben Johnson. It’s not like he’s asking Williams to throw constantly into tight coverage. His play calling is good enough that he knows there will be open windows. The quarterback just has to hit them. Hitting a 20-yard play is more effective in his mind than five four-yard plays. If that means sacrificing Williams’ completion percentage a little, so be it. Sooner or later, his quarterback will start hitting them consistently.

The Chicago Bears‘ defense has been ravaged by injuries all season. We still haven’t seen it at full strength, and there is a strong likelihood we may never. Even so, there’s at least a possibility we may see it mostly healthy before the regular season ends. That process hopefully starts soon. One thing is clear. The Bears need a lot of help this Friday as they prepare for the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. They are loaded on offense, making any prospect of stopping them difficult. Luckily, Jaquan Brisker is hinting that help might be on the way.

Chicago has been shorthanded at cornerback for months. Jaylon Johnson only played in one game. Kyler Gordon made it through two before going down again. Both returned to practice last week. Based on Brisker’s recent tweet, it sounds like they have a good chance to suit up in Philadelphia.

This would be a monumental boost for the Bears. Stopping A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith is almost impossible for any defense. With Tyrique Stevenson now hurt, getting those two back for this game is so crucial. It may not be enough to stop the Eagles, but it improves the odds.

Jaquan Brisker may switch positions if this is the case.

While he’s a safety, the Bears are hurting badly at linebacker. If Johnson and Gordon are back, it might allow Dennis Allen to shift Jaquan Brisker to linebacker and have C.J. Gardner-Johnson play the strong safety spot. This would allow the team to get their best players on the field together. T.J. Edwards is unlikely to play, and Tremaine Edmunds is on IR. Brisker isn’t the typical linebacker size, but he possesses the physicality to handle the job. Then you have Johnson, Gordon, and Nahshon Wright handling coverage duties.

Philadelphia is coming off a loss. History says that doesn’t bode well for the next team. The Eagles have lost two in a row only once since the beginning of 2024. They’re at home, where they’re 12-2 since last season. It will take a complete team effort to take them down.

Almost everything has been perfect with Caleb Williams this year. He’s taking far fewer sacks than he did as a rookie. He’s on track to finish with over 3900 passing yards and has 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Even his threat as a runner has become more effective with three touchdowns. He had zero last year. However, there is one persistent issue the Chicago Bears quarterback has yet to escape. Through 11 games, his 59.2% completion percentage is worse than his rookie season. Some of it can be attributed to drops by his receivers, but a significant portion is due to accuracy issues.

Too many of Williams’ passes have not been on target this season. They either sail too far over the heads of receivers or spray wide. People keep wondering what the problem is. Williams, to his credit, revealed it during his latest press conference.

“My feet, I was where I should have been when dropping back, but my base got wide, and my legs weren’t fully under me early in the game.”

Footwork is the most important part of a quarterback’s accuracy when throwing from the pocket. If it’s not tight and timed properly, the ball often goes in unintended directions. There were multiple examples of this in the Steelers game. You could see Williams either let his left foot drift too wide or didn’t reset his feet before throwing.

What Caleb Williams is experiencing is hardly uncommon.

Learning professional footwork is not easy. However, it has become especially difficult in modern times because many college programs no longer teach it. Most teams opt for spread-style schemes, where the quarterback is almost exclusively in shotgun or pistol formations. Footwork isn’t as prominent in those systems as it is under center. Josh Allen faced a similar issue during his early years in Buffalo. It took him around three seasons to fully grasp the art. Caleb Williams has improved considerably from where he was in August, but this is not something you master in a few short months.

The key with this is patience and repetition. As Williams learns the system and increases his comfort level, his footwork should become more natural. That is when the throws will become more accurate. The coaches have done a great job of staying on top of him throughout the process, never letting things slide.

The Chicago Bears offense has ascended to one of the best in the NFL this season. However, it hasn’t been perfect. Things still seem a little bit off. Caleb Williams isn’t as accurate as he could be when throwing the ball. More surprisingly, is how solid-not-great their skill position groups have been. Several of their most prominent names aren’t having anything close to a breakout year. That isn’t a problem right now since the team is still winning, but some are wondering if the Bears choose to maintain this configuration next year.

ESPN insider and analyst Benjamin Solak has doubts. Based on what the Bears have gotten from their skill groups and the resources they’ve poured in, there is a strong probability they will unload at least one or two prominent names in the spring. He has two who should be watched closely.

Cole Kmet and D.J. Moore will count a combined $40 million against the salary cap in 2026. The two are on track to combine for 1,050 yards and six touchdowns. Is that worth $40 million? No, it isn’t. Solak is correct. Unless something changes over the final six games, there is a strong possibility that at least one of them will be moved out.

The decision shouldn’t be difficult for the Chicago Bears.

If we’re talking about scheme fit and overall value, head coach Ben Johnson would likely favor keeping Kmet. The big tight end is cheaper, for one, but also an extremely valuable part of the Bears’ running game thanks to his blocking prowess. While Moore puts in his time blocking as well, he’s not nearly as accomplished. This is also shaping up to be his second straight season finishing below 1,000 yards. With Rome Odunze and now Luther Burden ascending in the offense, it doesn’t make sense to keep paying him as their third option.

Trading Moore next spring would secure $16 million in cap space for the Chicago Bears. Given he’s under contract through 2029, there are bound to be a few teams out there interested in his services. He will only be 29 next year. If Kmet must go too, he would net an additional $8.4 million. Much depends on what the Bears would get in return. Either way, these are the names to watch.

Anyone who has covered Kevin Byard for most of his career, or even since he arrived in Chicago, knows he is a consummate professional. The safety carries himself with confidence and class in interviews, never saying anything that might be considered inflammatory. He is focused on motivating teammates and being a leader. However, it appears Byard couldn’t resist making some of his inner thoughts known after the Bears took down the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday to reach 8-3.

While the Steelers did put up 28 points, Chicago’s defense came away unimpressed with their entire offensive operation. It was laughable to Byard and others how easy they were to predict.

“We knew what kind of game this was going to be,” free safety Kevin Byard III said. “It was, ‘Mason, let’s not have our offense mess it up.’ They wanted to let their defense eat and keep the game close toward the end. It was a lot of screen game and dink and dunks and just running the ball.

“Once we kind of figured that out, we were just loading the box. We knew they were going to run the ball. We still could have been a lot better. We just knew he wasn’t going to take too many shots, and the few times he did, it was on the outside. They were not going to throw the ball across the middle.”

Byard basically called them conservative and predictable. Those are considered a death sentence in today’s NFL. Perhaps the Steelers are lucky the Bears’ defense was so banged up. There is a strong probability that Chicago would’ve won by multiple touchdowns otherwise.

Kevin Byard isn’t wrong.

This isn’t new information. The Steelers have been accused of being way too conservative and predictable on both sides of the ball for years. It is why head coach Mike Tomlin is under more pressure than ever by fans to get fired. They feel he has kept the organization in a perpetual state of mediocrity due to his unwillingness to evolve with the times. Meanwhile, the Bears, once considered among the most backwards franchises in the NFL, have suddenly entered the modern age under Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen.

After going against the creative and diverse offense every day in practice for months, it’s no wonder Kevin Byard seemed so disgusted by what he saw on Sunday. He couldn’t have crafted a better game plan for the Bears to stymie if he tried. His only regret was probably not getting a chance to pick off Mason Rudolph himself.