The Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson for his obvious qualifications as an offensive mastermind. They felt that if anybody could help develop Caleb Williams into a good quarterback, it would be him. So far, the results have been mixed. Williams has looked considerably better pre-snap, has lowered his sack percentage, and shows good signs playing from the pocket. Unfortunately, the production hasn’t been there. The offense still struggles with penalties, can’t score in the red zone, and continues to struggle with finding a rhythm.

Some have wondered about the relationship between the quarterback and the head coach. Johnson has remained firmly behind Williams, stating he sees considerable progress. Granted, he’s still hard on the quarterback, holding him accountable when mistakes are made. In these situations, you can often tell a lot about a relationship from how people close to one of those involved talk about the other. Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated spoke to two Williams confidants.

Both had interesting things to say about Johnson.

One person who knows Williams well points to the “little signs” of progress: more buy-in, more check-downs taken, improved diagnosing of defenses, and, for individual plays or drives but not consistently, glimpses of the greatness long expected from him. Now, this person says, the quarterback with elite talent is married to an elite coach.

For better, like all marriages, and for worse. “It’s not going to happen overnight,” this person says. “Just because you paint your fingernails red doesn’t mean you don’t have drive, tenacity, creativity and f—ing talent—or that you don’t want to be great. The bottom line is: The difference-maker is great coaching.”

Speaking specifically of Johnson’s tenure with Goff in Detroit, this person adds, “What drove [him] to succeed with Goff was to prove people wrong, when no one [else] believed. And it’s no different than what’s driving him now.”

This makes sense.

Johnson knows the Bears have an ugly history at quarterback. He also knows Williams is under immense pressure to perform as the #1 pick from his draft class. Such things would motivate a competitor like him.

One Williams confidant sees two realities. Neither is exactly bountiful, at present, but the difference is immense. “This is people trying to not take accountability and blame [him]. You have to marry the right coach with the right player [for the] magic to happen.”

This confidant assesses the calculus, he hopes, for better days ahead. “Ben may be flexing on people and that s—, but he’s gonna figure out how to get that kid playing at a high level. And they’ll be the last ones laughing.”

It certainly appears that Caleb Williams’ people understand what Johnson is doing.

This is a 180 from last year, when the anonymous comments about the coaching staff were brutal. Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron were both criticized for not knowing what they were doing. Johnson’s approach is far different. He is on top of everything Caleb Williams does. There are no shortcuts. He won’t dial back the offense just because it’s difficult. If Williams wants to be great, he has to master the system. That means working hard to get better each week.

By all accounts, Williams is doing that. He’s putting in extra time every day. You can see glimpses of things slowing down. It isn’t there yet. Typically, it takes at least a full season before the truly positive signs appear. That might not be on the timeline Bears fans wanted, but it sounds like Williams has bought in.

The Chicago Bears’ pass rush has been a disappointment this year. Montez Sweat has turned it up recently, but outside of him, it’s been way too quiet among the edge rushers. Dayo Odeyingbo has one sack this season. Dominique Robinson was actually outperforming him before suffering his high ankle sprain. That’s how bad it has been. Yet for whatever reason, the Bears haven’t looked to bring in any help aside from a recent depth addition, Jonathan Garvin. We may finally know why. It stems from the imminent return of Austin Booker.

That may sound odd. Booker had 1.5 sacks last season as a rookie. Expecting him to become a force for the defense upon returning from his knee injury is awfully bold. However, from hearing Dennis Allen speak at his Thursday press conference, the second-year edge rusher hasn’t wasted any time. He has looked fantastic in practice over the past couple of weeks, picking up right where he left off in training camp. If this carries over in the game on Sunday in Cincinnati, the Bears’ defensive line may get their much-needed spark.

Austin Booker carries a lot on his shoulders.

The Bears have high hopes for him. Though a 5th round pick in 2024, many experts felt teh Kansas pass rusher had top 50 talent. He is long, athletic, quick, and ferocious. The key issue was his slender frame and his general lack of power. It looked during the preseason like he’d solved the latter issue, pancaking an offensive tackle at one point. If he can put together a strong second half of the season, it might alter the Bears’ approach next spring. Currently, their most obvious area of need is the defensive line, particularly the edge positions.

Austin Booker doesn’t have to be a savior; he merely must show something. Anything. Given this front some life. They have plenty of power but no speed. That is where he thrives. The key will be whether the Bears can give him some good opportunities to rush, which hasn’t always been the case this year.

Trading DJ Moore wasn’t something Chicago Bears fans really thought about when this year began. He felt like an obvious central piece ot the team’s offense built around Caleb Williams. However, things have changed. Moore hasn’t quite looked like himself this season. He’s not getting separation like we’re used to seeing. It hasn’t helped that he still seems to have chemistry issues with his quarterback, as last Sunday in Baltimore proved. He’s still productive, but he hasn’t been the star Chicago is paying him to be. Rome Odunze seems to be taking over that role.

Some have wondered if it’s getting to the point where the team might consider trading him. Other teams are almost certain to have interest in a player of his stature. Moving him would free up targets for younger guys like Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. Crazy? Apparently not. Courtney Cronin of ESPN believes the possibility is definitely there. While it remains unlikely at this point, she believes there is a scenario where the Bears move Moore to free up cap space.

Who could be on the move? Wide receiver DJ Moore. Though I don’t think this is likely to happen, Moore is a more realistic trade candidate than a player such as left tackle Braxton Jones, who was benched after 44 starts and is on injured reserve until at least Week 12. Moore, an eight-year veteran, is second on the Bears in targets (38), receptions (26) and yards (331). His contract situation makes it difficult to see him being moved ($23.5 million cap hit each year through 2029), but if a playoff team becomes desperate, the Bears could feel OK parting with Moore to create cap space in 2026 and giving his targets to rookie Luther Burden III behind Rome Odunze.

DJ Moore might be at the mercy of fate.

The wide receiver market is hot right now. Plenty of teams are looking for help. It isn’t crazy to think the Bears might be getting calls about his availability. However, head coach Ben Johnson may not want to move him because the team is 4-3, and their defense is horrifically banged up. They need every offensive weapon they have to put up points.

On the other hand, if they lose Sunday to fall to 4-4, the Bears may shift their lens to a long-term view. Trading DJ Moore would hurt initially, but it would give their younger players a chance to grow while freeing up money to help more problematic areas in 2026. Trading him frees up over $20 million in cap space.

Best guess is nothing happens. Most playoff-hopeful teams don’t have the cap space to take on his contract. Unless an injury happens on Sunday that changes things, expect the status quo for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears‘ defense is not in a good way right now. Injuries have hammered them at every angle through the first seven games. All four of their top cornerbacks missed last week. Three of them are on Injured Reserve. That necessitated the team signing veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Although a known head case at times, he’s a quality defensive back who should provide much-needed stability in the secondary. However, the problems with the defensive line remain unaddressed. Shemar Turner tore his ACL and is done for the season. Dominique Robinson is out with a high ankle sprain. While Austin Booker returning is good news, the Bears still have serious depth concerns.

That is why they might not be done adding help. Sources informed SM that GM Ryan Poles is monitoring two names on the trade market ahead of the November 4th deadline. One is veteran edge rusher Arden Key, currently with the Tennessee Titans. The former 3rd round pick played well over the past two seasons with 12.5 sacks, but has battled some injuries this year and plays on a bad team. He needs a fresh start elsewhere. The other name is Boye Mafe. A former 2nd round pick, he looked like a foundational piece for the Seattle Seahawks with 15 sacks over the past two seasons.

He’s gone silent this year, getting blanked in seven games. He does have 21 pressures, though, which is third on the team.

The Chicago Bears are likely waiting for the asking prices to drop.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has said that the edge market remains stalled because teams are demanding too much. That is expected to change after this weekend when the deadline comes into view. Key and Mafe are both free agents next year. Whoever trades for them will basically be renting their services for the remaining nine games of the season. No team will give up a high draft choice for that.

When discussing who might be the preferred option, it is probably Mafe. He’s 20 lbs heavier than Key. Though he isn’t known for being a good run defender, he at least poses a slightly bigger obstacle. He’s also three years younger. Will Seattle trade him? They’re currently in line to make the playoffs. Trading away one of your pass rushers seems awfully bold. Then again, weird stuff happens in this league all the time. Either way, the Chicago Bears can’t afford to turn their noses up at help.

Caleb Williams has largely similar numbers through the first seven games this season compared to his rookie year in 2024. There are some marked differences, though. His sack percentage is way down, and he has far fewer bouts where he looks like a deer in headlights. It is evident he has more command of the huddle and line of scrimmage. However, consistency and efficiency are still not yet there. The completion percentage remains too low (61.9%), and pre-snap penalties continue to be a persistent issue.

Some have started wondering if Williams will ever figure out how to play the position like a true professional. He still too often feels like he’s trying to recreate his magic from the USC days, not understanding it doesn’t work that way in the NFL. One expert isn’t worried. Benjamin Solak of ESPN has watched Williams carefully all season. He sees far more progress than people realize. In fact, he’s starting to see several similarities in his development to another prominent quarterback.

You may have heard of him.

It might seem like Williams is destined for the same path as Kyler Murray or Trevor Lawrence — a first-round pick talented enough to get a big second contract but not consistent enough to ever win with that cap weight hanging around his neck. We might eventually end up there. But even Murray and Lawrence were not and are not as physically talented as this. As such, I have an alternative career arc comp to make: Josh Allen.

Through Allen’s first two pro seasons, he had an off-target rate of 23.5%. Williams is at 21.3%. Like Williams, Allen was clearly physically capable of making all the requisite throws. But he was excitable in the pocket, his mechanics vacillated from throw to throw, and his shot selection was high difficulty. The light bulb went on for Allen in Year 3 under Brian Daboll — and after plenty of private offseason work on his mechanics.

Caleb Williams deserves the same grace period as Josh Allen got.

People forget the Buffalo Bills star was a rollercoaster through his first two seasons. He completed just 56.3% of his passes with 30 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. The reason he wasn’t under more scrutiny was his ability to score on the ground (17 touchdowns). Obviously, Caleb Williams isn’t 6’5 and 240 lbs. Allen finally got going in his third year, which was also his third season in the same offense. People cannot keep glossing over the fact that this is Williams’ first year in a new system under Ben Johnson.

Learning these things takes time.

Care to know the last time a Bears quarterback had the same head coach and same offensive coordinator for three seasons in a row? That was Rex Grossman from 2004 to 2007, when he had Lovie Smith as his head coach and Ron Turner as his offensive coordinator. In his third year, he took the Bears to the Super Bowl. There is more than enough evidence in league history to justify giving Williams more time.