Back when Caleb Williams broke Fanatics’ record for draft-night merchandise sales in any sport, every Chicago Bears fan marked the moment as the birth of a franchise quarterback. But what began with sky-high hopes quickly spiraled into a 10-game losing streak, coaching drama, and enough sacks (68, to be precise) to make even the most optimistic Bears fan flinch.
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After that disastrous rookie campaign for Williams—a 3-9 record, dead last in the NFC North—the incumbent No. 1 pick and the Bears are now desperately hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes. To achieve that, they hit the reset button earlier this offseason, hiring Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson as their new head coach.
The Bears now have nearly every key piece needed to become an offensive juggernaut—especially considering their head coach is fresh off leading the league’s top-ranked offense (33.2 ppg) with the most 40-point games without a turnover. As a ripple effect, many, including veteran analyst Colin Cowherd, expect to see the best of Caleb Williams under the Johnson era.
The analyst was blunt enough to argue that if the Bears QB fails under the best attacking tactician in the country, then it’s a definite red-flag moment. Colin even urged Johnson to figure out whether Caleb Williams is the guy—and fast—by seeing how the second-year QB fares in the first few weeks.
“You’ll know within four to five games if Caleb Williams is the guy,” Cowherd said on the latest episode of The Herd. “It doesn’t take long.”
Cowherd used history to bolster his take. Jared Goff looked like a bust—until he was paired with Sean McVay. Jayden Daniels thrived under a smart coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury in his rookie year, even leading the Commanders to an NFC title game after 33 years.
So, according to the analyst, the pieces are in place in Chicago. They’ve got a solid offensive line led by Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, along with talented weapons like DJ Moore and Drew Dalman—and potentially even a new running back from the draft. Hence, the margin for error from Williams’ end must be absolutely minimal.
“If Caleb Williams doesn’t look like a franchise quarterback by early October, then he’s not going to be,” Cowherd warned.
Colin explains why Caleb Williams’ entire NFL career hinges on the Ben Johnson hire pic.twitter.com/KwUwdyg8UN
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 3, 2025
To be fair, Williams’ rookie year wasn’t all doom and gloom. He became the first Bears rookie quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards, and his 353-pass streak without an interception also set an NFL rookie record.
Yes, he did get sacked frequently, but one also has to acknowledge the fact that Williams had one of the worst offensive lines in recent memory in front of him. Add to that his offensive coordinator getting fired midseason, and one might understand why these were far from ideal conditions for a rookie to thrive in.
A balanced verdict would be to say that Williams showed flashes of immense promise last season. But in the NFL, flashes don’t last long if you’re not winning.
Now, it’s on Ben Johnson to either unlock his playmaker’s full potential—or be the next name in Chicago’s long line of QB cautionary tales. Because, as Cowherd made clear, there won’t be much time to figure it out. And if they don’t? Well, it might be time to start scouting quarterbacks again.
