In his second year in the NFL, Caleb Williams has clear targets to hit. Head coach Ben Johnson has set a benchmark of a 70% completion rate. Williams has embraced the challenge, pledging to complete 70% of his passes and throw for 4,000 yards.
This is a big challenge for the Chicago Bears quarterback. Few QBs manage such a high completion rate. Only five reached 70% in 2024.
It’s a tough but attainable goal, one that demands patience from Johnson and the coaching staff. And that’s exactly the approach they plan to take with the Bears’ top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears coaching staff acknowledges that Williams still needs progress.
On Sunday, Cronin reported on SportsCenter that Johnson laid out the statistical benchmarks the team expects Williams to reach in his second year. “That’s how they’re going to gauge progress from their quarterback in Year 2,” Cronin said.
Cronin highlighted the coaching staff’s patient approach: “I think that also speaks to the patience that this coaching staff is trying to process with their quarterback over the next couple of weeks, even when they get into the regular season.”
Johnson revealed during training camp that Williams’ current completion percentage in practice is below expectations.
“That’s obviously not the only measure of success they’re going to reach, but they’re trying to get him closer to that 70 percent mark more than what he’s shown so far,” Cronin added.
There is pressure surrounding Williams, but he has the full support of the coaching staff, who will stand by him even if he struggles early in the season. With that backing, the expectation is clear: find the rhythm sooner rather than later and deliver.
