About a year ago, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams tried his best to stay afloat.

Williams felt like he was drowning and needed a boat to come rescue him as he ended his first minicamp with then new head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson and his staff had thrown so many new terminologies and expectations at the team that Williams felt he couldn’t keep up at times and didn’t know what to expect at training camp.

On Thursday, Williams and the Bears offense weren’t drowning anymore as they ended the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

“Now this year it’s being able to start where we finished last year, play calls and words and verbiage and speak the same language, and now it’s being able to grow more from an earlier stage than maybe doing it a little bit earlier in the season or halfway through the season, speaking on things that really help throughout the year,” Williams said. “That’s the advantage.”

Williams and the offense looked completely different during this week’s minicamp and the past weeks’ Organized Team Activities (OTA) practices open to reporters over the past couple of weeks.

At this time last year, Williams and the offense looked disjointed trying to run Johnson’s offense, which was expected. Bears players struggled to get set on the field before the play clock ran out. Johnson had thrown so many new things at them that it became too hard to understand everything before the allotted time.

But this offseason, Williams showed more confidence running Johnson’s offense. The first-team offense was often set early in the play clock, and returning players understood what they had to do on each play.

Williams credited the Bears’ run to the NFC Divisional Playoff and having a year under his belt for the higher comfort level. He looked and gained more confidence down the stretch and during the playoff run, which translated to the spring.

“Just starting off where we ended last year, I think that was a big step for us,” Williams said. “And then just overall getting better at everything we can, from pre-snap procedure and not having penalties, not having MA’s, and then when bad things do happen, just being able to recover mentally and physically to go out there and execute.”

Johnson has noticed a higher comfort level in the offense, especially from his quarterback.

Williams has become an extension of Johnson on the practice field. A year after Johnson would have to be the one holding everyone accountable, Williams has taken more of a leadership role in running Johnson’s offense and making sure it’s run the way it’s intended.

“We’re all aligned on what we want a certain route to look like, where we want the ball to be thrown, and so, you know, routes on air he can go out there and tell the receiver, ‘Hey, you’re missing your depth,’ or ‘Expect the ball to be at this spot,’ ” Johnson said. “Whether we’re out there in a practice setting or he likes to keep those guys out there after and work a little bit more after practice.

“I think he’s stepped up, and he’s continuing to get better every single day, and it’s just a matter of how many reps can we continue to pile on over the course of training camp.”

The Bears will have a six-week break before they return for the start of training camp. That’s when Johnson expects Williams and the team to expand upon the foundation built in the spring to live up to high expectations.

Williams looked forward to the break. He joked that he needed a little time away from the coaches and planned on training in order to be ready for what should be a big season for himself and the team.

With a lot on the line, Williams was grateful not to be treading water anymore.

“There’s so much to unlock, there’s so much to get better at, there’s so much left of ball for me and us and accolades that we’ll have as a team and things like that,” Williams said. “So I think that’s the part. And then having a good support system around me, having Ben and my teammates and things like that. I got to look in the face and make sure I’m doing the right thing every single day to accomplish our goal.”

Practice highlights

The Bears had some fun Thursday and took care of some business.

Quarterbacks threw passes to offensive linemen at the start of practice for Johnson to see who could do what if needed. Some tight ends also attempted passes as well.

Both the offense and defense shined during the team situational dream. Williams and the offense got the first laugh when he completed a perfectly placed deep ball for Luther Burden III. One referee ruled that it was a touchdown, while another ruled Burden down since there was no tackling.

“He did a great job,” Williams said. “He dove down, lost the safety and had a guy on his back hip and just put it over the top best that I could, and give him the best shot. As long as you do that, you know he’s going to go make a play for you.”

The defense got the last laugh with the offense deep in the red zone. Williams was forced to spike the ball before he threw a few incompletions to end the drive.

Off for the summer

Thursday marked the end of the workout portion of the Bears’ offseason. Players will be off for six weeks before returning to Halas Hall for training camp.

Johnson wanted to get back to the basics during this portion of the offseason. A year after setting a new culture during his first season with the team, Johnson felt the Bears had accomplished their goals over the past month and a half.

“Strength and conditioning, first and foremost, technique, fundamentals, scheme installation, and then some situational football, which we’ve continued to work on, and we’ll get another good day of today,” Johnson said. “So, really pleased with how they’re working.

“I said to you guys a few weeks ago, this is a really hard-working group. They’re taking it very seriously, very professional. Couldn’t be more grateful for the attendance we’ve had so far in the offseason program and close it out on a great week this week.”

The next six weeks will offer an opportunity for players and coaches to get away and prepare for what will be a big season for the franchise. Players will use the break to take some time away from the sport entirely. The rest will be used to prepare for what is expected to be another grueling training camp.

Johnson joked that he’ll take a break away from Halas Hall for a minute. But he’ll use the coming weeks to get a head start on preparing for the fall.

“I’ve always found the summer to be one of the better times in terms of getting ahead for the season,” Johnson said. “We haven’t done a whole lot exotic here. This offseason has been, as I talked about, fundamentals, technique. We’re running fairly standard formations and plays at this point. We’re trying to build the blocks from the ground up. This offseason, I’ll be able to deep dive into some areas of interest for myself.”