Throughout the illustrious 13 year career of Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bears rarely, if ever, had a consistent and dependable quarterback under center. As a result, Chicago made only four postseason appearances during Urlacher’s time in the Windy City, each year there on the strength of a defense led by the five-time All-Pro.
These quarterback hardships, which so often plagued the Bears throughout the 2000’s, give Urlacher a unique perspective on what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, and specifically, in the city of Chicago, a town that is starving to find a player at the most important position in football who could accurately be called a star.
Caleb Williams is one of the few guys that have come through Chicago who has this star potential, but during his rookie season, those star-making moments came at a premium. But with a rebuilt offensive line and a new offensive-minded head coach in town, 2025 is expected to be a year of growth for the Bears’ prized second-year quarterback.
With an eye on helping the 23-year-old quarterback out, Urlacher recently offered some suggestions on how the Bears could help Caleb Williams continue to grow and come closer to reaching his star potential.
“He’s very accurate throwing the football, more accurate than I gave him credit for,” Urlacher said on July 16 on the Rahimi and Harris show. “If they run the ball like they’ve done in years past, it’s going to help him. They’re going to face less men in the box. He’s going to have a chance to make some plays down the field.”
Fortunately for Caleb Williams, the new head coach in Chicago comes from a situation in Detroit where running the football was an integral part of the team’s offensive identity.
Ben Johnson Will Get the Bears Running the Football
During Caleb Williams’ rookie season, the Bears ranked 25th in total rushing yards and 27th in average yards per rush, doing their first-year quarterback no favors. This had as much to do with scheme and play-caller as it did anything else, but that shouldn’t be a concern in 2025 with Ben Johnson in the fold.
During all three seasons of Ben Johnson’s tenure as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, the Lions were always among the league’s best rushing offenses. There was not only a commitment to running the ball, but proper execution thanks to heady play-calling, proper scheme and talented personnel. Even with a cast of backs that isn’t as talented as what he had at his disposal in Detroit, Ben Johnson should get more out of the Bears rushing attack than the previous staff did.
Just as the Bears have a long history with iconic linebackers — such as Urlacher — there is also quite a track record of dominant running backs in Chicago as well. Even beyond the obvious names like Walter Payton, Gale Sayers and going way back Bronko Nagurski, the Bears have crafted an identity over the course of 100 seasons as a team that can run the hell out of the football and beat you in the trenches.
That doesn’t need to change just because the starting quarterback doesn’t come with the same limitations that Bears quarterbacks have so often had.
Ben Johnson Says Bears Offense Will Belong to Caleb Williams
Even with Chicago’s smashmouth roots and Ben Johnson’s proven ability to call an offense that runs the football as effectively and efficiently as anyone else in the NFL, the first year head coach of the Bears is making no mistake about it… Caleb Williams is a big reason why Ben Johnson came to Chicago, and the Bears offense will indeed belong to Caleb Williams.
“There’s no doubt Caleb played a large component into my decision for not only the talent level he possesses but also the type of person he is. This is going to be, really I like to fancy it, the quarterback’s offense,” Johnson said for NFL Films on July 15. “We are going to tailor this thing right around Caleb Williams.”
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