The ceiling is incredibly high for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and it goes to show how taking in advice from a legendary quarterback like Drew Brees can do for a young QB.
For those who may have missed it, Brees, who called the Bears/Panthers game alongside Chicago native Adam Amin, sat down with the Bears’ young quarterback during the production meetings leading up to the game and shared some key advice pertaining to Williams’ completion percentage, which has been a key weak spot of his game since entering the league.
“Drew’s line at the end of our conversation with Caleb was ‘Do you know the difference between a 60% passer and a 70% passer?'” Amin said on 104.3 The Score. “Caleb’s answer was ‘Is it checkdowns?’ But Drew’s answer was ‘Three completions. You get three more completions in a game, when you’re throwing the ball 30 times a game.”
Williams’ completion percentage in 2025 was 58.1%, which ranked 34th among qualified QBs according to ESPN metrics.
His completion percentage in Week 1 against the Panthers? 72.4%.
Ben Johnson Comments on Caleb Williams’ Completion Percentage
After watching Caleb Williams’ Week 1 tape on film, Ben Johnson believes he took Drew Brees’ advice and applied it in the game.
“That might’ve stuck with our guy a little bit, which was cool to see,” Johnson said. “Couple check downs to the backs were good plays for us. There’s a couple of times where the primary’s not there and you can see him reset to the middle of the field where number two was, and he ended up dotting that for five yard gains a couple times. I thought he had some really nice throwaways when the plays weren’t there. It was smart with the football.”
Johnson also added that it wasn’t only the check downs that made the difference for Williams.
“And then I think what also showed up was just on the scramble. The scramble in general, we had a lot more production than maybe we would have had in the past.”
Williams finished the game throwing for 269 yards and two passing touchdowns to go with 65 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Perhaps the best part was his 72.4% completion percentage and 124.1 passer rating. If he can keep this up, there’s no doubt he’ll be in the MVP conversation.
Williams’ Performance Wasn’t A Surprise for Johnson
Caleb Williams was locked in, and it wasn’t a surprise to Ben Johnson that he went out and dropped 59 points.
“We do our quarterback meeting one last time, and he was on top of it,” Johnson said regarding Williams. “Everything. He was rattling out where (his) eyes need to be, what (he’s) thinking.”
That’s what happens when you take the offseason seriously. At least, according to Williams.
“That doesn’t just happen,” he said. “That happens over time. That happens through training camp, through OTAs. It happens through the week of preparation.”
What can you do against a quarterback like Williams in Year 2 under Johnson’s offense?
“He’s very athletic,” Panthers pass rusher Princely Umanmielen said after the game. “He’s very gifted. A lot of other quarterbacks in the NFL wouldn’t have made those type of plays.”
Chicago will move on to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 20th at 1 PM Eastern Time at home.
Caleb Williams’ Decision to Apply Drew Brees’ Advice Caught Bears Attention