Confident Caleb Williams taking true lead of Bears in Year 3

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (1043. The Score) -- Two years ago, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a rookie wearing a 'C' on his chest as a team captain. It was a fair recognition for a budding young arm in this league, though a great responsibility for any first-year player.

Last season, Williams started anew with head coach Ben Johnson at his side. He emerged as a leader for the Bears, but one drinking through a firehose in his second year. It's all different now for the 24-year-old Williams.

Now, Williams is the most important player on the Bears' roster and the guy for his team. He is set for his third season, boasting confidence and comfort in his role.

Leading the Bears will come naturally for Williams.

"It's being able to step up and speak up more," Wiliams said Wednesday following the Bears' first practice of training camp. "Being in this league for two (seasons), I've played a bunch of games now. I know what losing looks like, I know what winning looks like in this league. We haven't won the big one yet. But we won a bunch of games last year, we lost a lot of games my first year.

"Having Year 2 in the offense, a lot more confidence in what I'm saying to the guys out there. It's starting to sound more like the coaches – the steps, the alignments and things like that. Just finding ways to be more on top of that day in and day out. Being able to help those guys whenever they ask a question and then from there, just leading by example is one of the biggest ones. I've always said that.

"When something needs to be spoken about or said to a teammate or a coach if we're having an issue as a team, be able to go to them and speak to the coaches or speak to the team."

The Bears hired Johnson in January of 2025 largely because of how he could impact Williams' development. That dynamic was forged by challenges from Johnson throughout their first year together.

Johnson pushed Williams to growth last year, testing him in practice and demanding his best in meetings. It's the type of hard coaching Williams coveted.

"I mean, he's got it all," Johnson said. "There's really nothing I don't think that he can't do. It's just, the elite arm talent, playmaking ability, escapability, he has his legs that he can hurt a defense with. I mean, there's just so many layers to who he is as a player. I think that word consistency comes up over the course of a 60-minute game or more if we need it to where we're playing high-level quarterback play throughout that game. You see flashes of it. And yet, we're trying to tap into that where we're just consistently delivering the ball where it needs to go, giving it to our guys around us. And then we all know that he has that ability to put on that Superman cape when the time calls for it."

With the start of training camp, Johnson is ready to push Williams even further.

Sure, Williams set a franchise record with 3,942 passing yards last season. He threw for 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, guiding a Bears offense that ranked in the top 10 for both yardage and scoring. But Johnson is focused on how Williams can become a more efficient passer.

Williams has become an extension of Johnson for the Bears, the next evolution of his leadership.

"I know we have a real common goal," Williams said. "And it's to find a way to make the Chicago Bears champions at the end of the day.

"What he says to me, I'll do it 200% and won't look back."

Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.