Ben Johnson’s Burner

While the rest of the football world is trying to convince everyone (and themselves) that Caleb Williams is showing “improvement” this season, I’m here to remind everyone that Caleb Williams is a bust and things will not work out for him in Chicago. Why? He’s too inconsistent to ever be able to produce at the level the Bears need him to produce at to matter. He’s a flash and splash player who does his best work against bad teams. That’s when they try to sell his stock to people the hardest — like the times he beat up on the No. 31 and No. 32 ranked defenses in 2024 (Jaguars and Panthers per Fox Sports) or the time he did his thing against the No. 32 ranked Cowboys defense in 2025 (Fox Sports) and was throwing touchdowns to wide open receivers. Then against better teams his stock tumbles down the proverbial stairs 📉 USC: 2-7 vs. top 25 teams. NFL: 2-9 vs. teams with a winning record. If you’ve ever seen the movie, “The Titanic,” that’s what I think of when I think of Williams on the Bears. It’s sad, because Williams didn’t do all that hyping and he didn’t draft himself, but nonetheless, that’s what this situation reminds me of. He’s not getting better folks. He and the Bears are the same 2-2 this season as he was in his rookie season with Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. He’s not at the 70% completion percentage Ben Johnson wanted him to be at — No… Actually his completion percentage is a little bit worse: 2024: 62.5% 2025: 62.3% He’s not “playing more on time,” either…. His time to throw per PFF has actually gotten slower: 2024: 3.03 seconds 2025: 3.26 seconds No coincidence by the way that his completion percentage and his time to throw have gone down together. It’s hard for an offense to flow to the level they need to flow with a quarterback who has his own sense of timing and has his own way of doing things unpredictably. It worked better for him at USC against average to below average college defenses — and against many defenders who will never even sniff the NFL. The NFL is different— The game is faster and more complex. The pass rushers and DB’s are better. Playground football doesn’t work quite as well, which is Williams brand of football. So enjoy all the hype and hot air that’s proclaiming it while it lasts, because unfortunately Williams not working out in Chicago is as predictable as the sunrise. A completion percentage in the low 60’s isn’t going to cut it — and that my friends is what Williams is — due to his inconsistent footwork and broken internal clock —Matt Eberflus — Shane Waldron and Ben Johnson…doesn’t make a difference. Why? Nobody is going to “fix him,” that was just clickbait. Nobody can “fix” Caleb Williams. He is what he is. The problem is not even Caleb Williams. The problem is he was over hyped and over drafted. He will never be able to meet the level of expectations that his career has been framed with. He was a 4th round NFL value firstroundmock.com/2024/01/former… on his 2023 USC game film and he went 1.01. End of story. He never had the skillset or the mindset to meet that level of expectation. Yes, he has the “raw arm strength” and the “raw athleticism,” but it’s too inconsistent to matter in this league. Add in the fact the Bears have the No. 27 ranked defense (Fox Sports) and the No. 24 rushing attack (team rankings), and he’s as good as gone. That’s not even taking into consideration he’s looking up at the Packers and Lions in his own division. Mix in that 62.3% completion percentage and that slow time to throw — Things not working out is inevitable. Sad to say. But that’s the danger of over hyping, over grading and over drafting players. A lesson that will need to be learned again. And sooner or later Ben Johnson will be faced with making a decision on Caleb Williams, and that decision will be if it’s going to be “me or him.” Photo Credit: Getty Images

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