RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Chicago Bears are under a lot of pressure this season.
After going 11-6 and winning the franchise's first playoff game since 2010 under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, the bar has been set. Anything less in 2026 and fans will start to question whether last season was just a one-off or if Johnson has built this thing to last. Being in the same division as the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings doesn't exactly help, either.
But so long as they have Caleb Williams, it feels like they're never out of the fight. He had six fourth-quarter comebacks last season, tied for the third-most in a single season in NFL history, and finished the year with 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 388 rushing yards and three rushing scores.
With Bears training camp now ramping up, he's already drawing high praise from one of his teammates, D'Andre Swift. When asked who's improved the most so far at camp, Swift pointed specifically to Williams .
"Just seeing his poise right now and his process," Swift said. "I get there pretty early, so I see the little things he's doing on the daily in his second year in the system. I just like his approach right now and his focus."
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Williams looked great last season, and it led to the Bears' first double-digit-win season since 2018. But it also helped Swift enjoy one of the best seasons of his career.
The 27-year-old running back finished with a career-high 1,087 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 223 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, along with 299 receiving yards. His 1,386 total scrimmage yards ranked among the highest totals among running backs — and that was with him splitting carries with rookie Kyle Monangai in the back half of the season.
Looking ahead to 2026, wide receiver DJ Moore is out, and Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are both expected to have big years. Swift and Monangai will help take some pressure off Williams, but the Bears will need him to rekindle some of that magic from last season to help this team take another step forward.
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