Caleb Williams suffers worrying start to sophomore season as Ben Johnson sets out lofty targets for QB

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Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are determined to live up to expectations in 2025.An air of excitement surrounds the famous NFL franchise heading into the new season, which is perhaps surprising, considering the team struggled to a brutal 5-12 finish last year.Williams and the Bears are hoping to bounce back from a rough 2024 seasonGettyBut the offseason has seen Chicago land the most sought-after head coach candidate in Ben Johnson, and they significantly upgraded their offensive line to put a strong team around quarterback Caleb Williams.The first overall pick of the 2024 draft is now entering his sophomore season, and there is optimism that he will be able to show his full potential in a stable environment, having seen former coach Matt Eberflus fired after a Thanksgiving meltdown.Williams returned to the practice field on Wednesday, but if Bears fans were hoping for immediate signs of improvement, they would have been left disappointed.Caleb struggles on opening day of training campThe QB was intercepted on his first rep of 11-on-11 by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, before Johnson pulled the offense off the field entirely.Those scenes follow a rough statement from the new head coach, who last month admitted the Bears are not ready for prime time. “The word ‘intense’ was used a lot this spring to describe practice and the shared mentality of Ben Johnson and his coaches,”ESPN’s Courtney Cronin wrote on X.“That carried over to Day 1 of training camp where the first team offense got thrown out of a drill by Johnson when they couldn’t get lined up properly.”According to The Athletic, after Williams connected with Cole Kmet, the coach had to yell at the offense to re-huddle up when things didn’t look right.The QB found his tight end again on the next play, but then he twice had to gather the offense in the huddle.At that point, Johnson had seen enough. The first-team went to the side, and the backups came in.Johnson has arrived in Chicago with lofty standards for the new seasonGettyDespite apparently struggling on the first day of training camp, Williams has been set some big goals for 2025.What goals has Williams been set for next season?“I told him I would love for him this season to complete 70% of his balls,” Johnson said.“So, you would like to think that over the course of practice that we’re completing 70% or more, or that’s hard to just magically arise in a game.“It’s a lofty goal, but it’s one we’re going to strive for.”Indeed, a 70% completion rate would signal serious improvement from Williams’ rookie year.The No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft completed 62.5% of his passes last term, and ranked 31st out of 36 qualified quarterbacks.Williams threw for more than 3,500 yards in his rookie year, but wants more in 2025He threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions across 17 games.Only five quarterbacks who played more than 10 games completed 70% of their passes in 2024.But one of them was Detroit Lions star Jared Goff (72.4%), who had Johnson working alongside him as his offensive coordinator.Now, as a head coach, Johnson will be hoping to get the same out of a highly-rated second-year star in Chicago. As well as being asked to complete 70% of his passes, Williams has also made clear his desire to improve on the yards he racked up as a rookie — and set a franchise record in the process.Williams eyes Chicago history“Being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, that’s a goal of mine,” he said on Tuesday.“Seventy-percent completion, that helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions.“And then other than that, just trying to go down and score the most points that we can with each drive that we have.NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?“That’s kind of my self-goal, and obviously other than that, you’ve got to go win.“That’s success for me. That’s success for the team. That’s all we wish for and I wish for.”Clearly, expectations are high in Chicago.As Williams mentioned, never has a Bears quarterback hit that 4,000-yard mark.The Bears are the only team in the NFL without a QB who has thrown for 4,000 yardsGettyRather unfortunately, they’re the only team for which such a statistic applies.Last year alone, six quarterbacks threw for 4,000-plus yards — Goff, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Lamar Jackson.The goal, then, is certainly possible.But if day one of training camp is anything to go by, Johnson will have his work cut out to knock Chicago’s offense into the kind of shape he has become accustomed to.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more