Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson received some pointed criticism from longtime NFL coach Clyde Christensen over how he was emphasizing quarterback Caleb Williams' accuracy during offseason practices.

Christensen, who coached Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck during his lengthy tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, attended a Bears practice and noticed Johnson was not discussing ball placement enough during routes on air. The veteran coach made his concerns clear to Johnson, according to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain.

“He was on me,” Johnson told The Athletic in August. “I mean, he was really critical of me.”

Christensen specifically approached Johnson during organized team activities in May and encouraged him to make accuracy a priority on every repetition.

“Ben, you aren’t bringing it up as much as you need to, either. It needs to be every single throw that you guys are watching on tape. … You have to embody that.”

The advice came after Williams finished his second NFL season completing 58.1% of his passes, which ranked 32nd in the league. Despite Williams' overall success during his first season playing under Johnson, his completion percentage stood out as an area Chicago wanted to improve entering 2026.

Christensen previously worked alongside Johnson for two seasons with the Miami Dolphins and used his experience coaching quarterbacks to offer a reminder about the importance of consistently reinforcing accuracy.

“I don’t think that I helped in any way other than just to just remind him, ‘Hey, you get what you emphasize,’” Christensen told The Athletic this week. “‘You want an accurate quarterback, emphasize it.’”

Chicago subsequently placed a greater focus on Williams' ball placement throughout the offseason, including during routes without a defense. The Bears wanted each throw evaluated rather than allowing quarterbacks and receivers to simply go through the motions.

Caleb Williams' accuracy emphasis pays early dividends for Bears

Williams acknowledged in June that the increased attention to accuracy had made him more aware of his ball placement.

“Just being more conscious of it. That’s one of the biggest things,” Williams said. “The more emphasis you put on something, the more conscious you are of it, typically you get better at (it).”

The early returns provided encouragement for Chicago. Williams completed 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears' 59-37 Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He finished with a 124.1 passer rating while also rushing for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

Williams and the Bears will now attempt to carry that production into their Week 2 home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Both NFC North teams enter the matchup at 1-0.

Minnesota's defense presents another test for Williams' progress. The Vikings blitzed heavily in their Week 1 victory over the Green Bay Packers, giving Johnson and Williams a different challenge after Chicago's offensive explosion against Carolina.

After Christensen challenged Johnson's approach during the offseason, Williams' accuracy will remain a key area to watch as Chicago moves deeper into the 2026 season.