The Bears were still waiting to draft Caleb Williams a year ago, but they already knew how they planned to coach him. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron would run the meetings, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph would focus on fundamentals and assistant Ryan Griffin would provide the wisdom of a former NFL quarterback. Pass-game coordinator Thomas Brown would filter his ideas to Williams through Waldron but not talk to the quarterback often. The Bears wanted to control how many voices were in Williams’ ear.
The whole thing failed spectacularly. Brown — who wasn’t even part of the chain of command that dealt with Williams directly — was named the offensive coordinator after 10 weeks and head coach after 13.
So the Bears’ new brain trust has a low bar to clear and a lot of mistakes to clean up. Ben Johnson’s presence as the coach and offensive play-caller will ensure the offense has a distinct personality — and a person in charge. Those below him will work to deliver that message to Williams in a critical season for the second-year quarterback.