Bears CB Jaylon Johnson details how rookie QB Caleb Williams is fitting into "hard-nosed" Chicago city
The arrival of Caleb Williams brought levels of hope to the Chicago Bears that were never seen. The franchise finally has a quarterback that they can trust, and more importantly, they're at a point where the future looks brighter than it ever was in this century.
As Caleb Williams connects with his teammates and gets used to the life of an NFL quarterback, other Bears players are impressed with how things developed for him into the first months of being a pro. One of these players who are loving the experience is star cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who spoke to Jim Rome about his early impressions on the rookie:
"He fits in perfectly... It is really just a hard-nosed city. I mean, the fans are hard nosed, our team is hard nosed. Kinda has been built on that. And I think he coming in and is fitting in perfectly."
"We were able to push him as a defense and then be able to see how he bounced back and responded doing certain things back. I think he's fitting in perfectly. I can't wait for this camp to really see him take the next step and to lead us to some wins."
The Bears were able to get Caleb Williams as a result of the 2023 trade with the Carolina Panthers that saw them move from the 1st overall pick to the 9th. The extra first-round pick from the 2024 season turned out to be the best one.
Caleb Williams' story with the Bears to start on September 08
The most recent first-overall pick in the NFL Draft will start his pro career playing against Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans. There were a lot of tougher games to start his career, so the opportunity to kick off the season with the right foot is there.
Wiliams is taking over the team following Justin Fields' trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fields, a former first-round pick himself, struggled to develop his potential over the past three years, and with the Chicago Bears getting a golden opportunity with the first overall pick that wasn't even their own, Williams was too good of a chance to pass up.
Caleb Williams played college football at USC and is reuniting with Kliff Kingsbury, his former coach, in Chicago. The offensive principles are expected to be the same.
Another factor that will certainly help the Bears is that they were also able to load the offense with weapons with their original picks. Chicago used the #9 to draft Rome Odunze from Washington: the wide receiver will be a difference maker from the first day and connect with Caleb perfectly.