Chicago Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson has turned some heads with his recent comments about the work ethic of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Johnson made a guest appearance on “The Pivot Podcast” on Friday, during which former NFL star Channing Crowder asked him if he has seen enough growth from Williams to feel like he is on the trajectory of becoming a “playoff quarterback.”
Candid as always, Johnson admitted he wouldn’t feel comfortable rendering a verdict on Williams because he doesn’t know what a playoff quarterback “looks like” after all of the quarterback changes he has endured throughout his first five seasons in Chicago.
At the same time, though, Johnson also mentioned the improvement he has seen from Williams with his work ethic — even if it sounded like a slight dig at his 2024 efforts.
“I feel like for me, I’m not going to say, ‘Oh yeah, I see him doing it or I see him not doing it,’” Johnson said. “I know he’s definitely taking steps, I definitely see his car in the lot a lot longer than it was, definitely taking those steps. But I can’t say that he’s progressing to be a TB [Tom Brady] and I ain’t ever really know what TB put in.”
There are two ways to read those comments. Either Johnson is suggesting that Williams did not spend enough time in the building in 2024 or he is simply praising his offensive signal-caller for going above and beyond to put in additional work for his second year.
Either way, Johnson’s words are interesting and indicate Williams is working harder for the Bears in 2025, which can only be a good thing — especially after a turbulent 2024.
Caleb Williams’ Work Ethic Questioned in New Report
What Johnson said about Williams’ work ethic may have flown under the radar … if not for the recent scathing article about Williams from Tyler Dunne for GoLongTD.com.
Last week, Dunne published a three-part article series that quoted dozens of unnamed sources — many of them former coaches — who painted Williams as one of the biggest reasons for the dysfunction that resulted in the Bears’ tumultuous 2024 regular season.
In specific reference to Williams’ work ethic, one anonymous coach said the following:
There are grown-man responsibilities. You expect him to put the work in. And I think everybody desires to be great. Wanting to be great is phenomenal. If I go to a local barbershop, there are probably seven guys who wanted to be great players when they were 13 years old. But what you want and what you earn are two different things. This life and the game of football doesn’t give you what you want. I want $50 million. If I want $50 million, I’ve got to go earn $50 million.
If you can’t sacrifice? There’s no substitute for the work. That’s something he needs to learn.
While some fans are happy to dismiss those comments as retaliation from jilted former coaches, they do make what Johnson said about Williams a little more interesting.
Jaylon Johnson Off Injury Report for Bears in Week 2
Speaking of Johnson, the All-Pro cornerback is on track to make his 2025 season debut for the Bears on Sunday afternoon after sitting out their opener with a groin injury.
Johnson suffered a groin injury while training on his own before reporting to the Bears’ facility in late July for the start of training camp. As a result, he missed the entire camp and spent more than a month off the practice field before returning at the beginning of Week 1 as a limited participant.
While the Bears listed Johnson as questionable to play against the Minnesota Vikings and worked him out in the pregame, they ultimately decided to give him another week to recover and ruled him inactive along with starting slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Following Friday’s practice, though, the Bears removed Johnson from the injury report after he participated fully in this week’s practices. Johnson is one of their most talented defensive players and should provide a substantial boost to their secondary, which had to start 2025 veteran newcomers Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud in the first week.
Unfortunately, the Bears also ruled out Gordon for another week with his hamstring injury, which held him out of practice for the entire week. McCloud is the most likely choice to start in the slot in Gordon’s place, but the Bears could reconsider their lineup now that Johnson is healthy and available to play on the perimeter against the Lions.
The Bears will face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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