How the Chicago Bears’ 2025 draft picks will help Caleb Williams’ development

New Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t shy away from the obvious during his introductory news conference in January.

He credited the city, the organization and the roster for all being reasons why he wanted the Bears job over others. But when it came down to it, quarterback Caleb Williams played a major role in his decision to come to Chicago.

Johnson explained it simply at the time. The NFL had become a quarterback-driven league over the past 20 years. A quarterback’s success was a major predictor whether a team would win or lose, and Johnson believed in Williams’ talent.

“Where I see my role is as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind,” Johnson said. “We’re going to build this thing. This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there. Nope. We’re ripping this thing down to the studs, and we’re going to build it up with him first and foremost. Then with the pieces around him next, I really look forward to challenging him and pushing him, as I said before, to continue to grow and develop.”

That calibration wasn’t just limited to the playbook. Bears general manager Ryan Poles has spent this offseason surrounding Williams with more protection and offensive weapons who can help Williams reach his full potential.

The work started a week before the start of free agency. Poles revamped the offensive line after Williams was sacked a team-record 68 times during his rookie season. Poles traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed the top-rated center available in free agency, Drew Dalman.

Then the work continued in this weekend’s draft when Poles used his first-round pick to select Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

Poles and Johnson liked Loveland’s “Idaho tough” personality and how it jelled with what Johnson wanted the Bears’ culture to be. But they also liked how Loveland would fit in Johnson’s offense and how it would benefit Williams.

At 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, Loveland was a difficult target to stop in college because of his size, speed and route-running skills. He provided former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy a safety net during Loveland’s sophomore season when the Wolverines won a national championship, catching 45 passes for 649 yards and four touchdowns.

Even with an injured shoulder and a carousel of quarterbacks last year, Loveland was still a threat. He caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns.

Poles liked the idea of pairing Loveland with Bears tight end Cole Kmet in two-tight end personnel sets, something Johnson did with the Lions. He said the duo could create more space in the passing game for Williams as linebackers might be forced to try to stop them.

“I think if you look historically, the impact tight ends have had on young quarterbacks, it’s pretty big,” Poles said. “Now [Williams] has two of them plus the other guys we have on the outside and in the backfield. I think it’s going to be really important.”

The offensive additions didn’t stop after the first round. Poles drafted Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III at No. 39 and Boston College offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo at No. 56 in the second round. He also added Michigan State offensive lineman Luke Newman in the sixth round and Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai in the seventh round.

Burden proved himself to be a dependable weapon with the Tigers on the outside and in the slot. His route running and speed helped him get open as a sophomore, catching 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. When he played more in the slot as a junior, Burden used his speed and vision to extend plays after a catch.

“Where I see my role is as a supporter of him, this offense will be calibrated with him in mind. We’re going to build this thing. This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there. Nope. We’re ripping this thing down to the studs and we’re going to build it up with him first and foremost.”

—  Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach

That quickness to the ball is what Poles believes will help Williams in his development. Burden and Loveland join an already talented group that can do a lot once they get the ball that includes wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift.

Adding more playmakers and Johnson’s creative play calling should put more stress on defenses and open things up for Williams.

“Anytime you can get the ball in the playmaker’s hands quickly and they can make plays after that and your completion percentage goes up, that’s really good for a quarterback’s confidence,” Poles said. “A lot of these guys you can see on our team – in terms of the weapons – they can separate. When you see guys open, that’s a lot easier than throwing guys open. As you go along, [Williams] goes along, you have to do that, as well. All these guys are capable of really producing with a ball in their hands.”

Now it’s up to Williams to take the next step after an up-and-down rookie season. Yes, the offensive line struggles were partly to blame for the high sack number last season. But Williams also held the ball for too long at times and didn’t get the ball to his playmakers.

Williams knew what was at stake and the opportunity in front of him in the next months even when he didn’t know exactly who the Bears would draft.

“I think now is the time through the draft where you get to go and draft guys, the best players and then get guys to be able to develop them with people like Joe [Thuney] and Darnell [Wright] and all these different guys,” Williams said. “Wide receivers, running backs, tight ends. You get to kind of pick your poison and develop them.”