The following is the first of nine position previews in advance of training camp.
Quarterback Caleb Williams excelled in his first season working with coach Ben Johnson in 2025 and is determined to perform at an even higher level this year.
"There's so much to unlock," the 24-year-old said during the offseason. "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."
Last season, Williams led the Bears to the NFC North title and a playoff win over the rival Packers while setting a franchise single-season passing record with 3,942 yards. At his best in clutch situations, he helped the Bears rally to win seven games they trailed in the final 2:00, the most by an NFL team since at least 1970. Two of the comeback victories came against Green Bay three weeks apart—one in a pivotal regular-season contest and one in a thrilling wild card showdown—in which the Bears twice erased double digit fourth-quarter deficits.
As Williams prepares to enter his third NFL training camp, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft intends to focus on improving certain aspects of his game.
"Get the completion percentage up," he said. "Keep the offense on the field more. Be the highest scoring offense. Whether it's handoffs or passes, whatever, that doesn't matter; it's just being able to put up as many points as possible to help our team win as many games as possible and then keeping the turnovers very low."
Williams' top priority this summer will be to improve his ball placement, which should limit interceptions and create more run-after-catch opportunities.
"Being able to put the ball in the best position for the wide receivers first starts with a completion," Williams said. "And then from there you grow in the confidence from completing the ball … to 'how can I place the ball better for these guys in these situations and moments throughout the games and practices?'"
Last year, Williams ranked fifth in the NFL with a 27-to-7 TD-to-interception ratio and has now played 23 career games without throwing an interception, the most by a quarterback in his first two seasons in league history. He has flourished working with Johnson, who's widely viewed as one of the NFL's best playcallers.
"He brings a lot of wisdom to me," Williams said. "He notices things that I may not notice in the moment. His information, his knowledge, his wisdom, it goes a long way for me and I'm 110% in on whatever he says."
Backup plan
Tyson Bagent, who has served as the Bears' No. 2 quarterback since his arrival in 2023, returns for a fourth year. With Williams becoming the franchise's first quarterback to start every game in back-to-back seasons since Bob Avellini in 1976-77, Bagent has attempted only six passes the past two years. But he showed promise as an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University when he appeared in five games and won two of four starts, passing for 859 yards and three touchdowns.
At Shepherd, Bagent set the record for most touchdown passes across all NCAA divisions with 159. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II National Player of the Year in 2021 and was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Player of the Year in 2022.
Veteran reserve Case Keenum also will be back for a second season with the Bears. He has appeared in 80 NFL games with 66 starts over 12 seasons with the Texans (2013-14 and 2023-24), Rams (2015-16), Vikings (2017), Broncos (2018), Commanders (2019), Browns (2020-21) and Bills (2022). The University of Houston product has completed 62.3% of his passes for 15,175 yards with 79 TDs, 51 interceptions and an 84.6 passer rating.
Keenum figures to once again be a valuable member of the offense even if he doesn't play a single snap. A seasoned pro who led the Vikings to the 2017 NFC Championship Game, he remains an excellent resource for Williams and Bagent.
A fourth quarterback on the Bears roster is undrafted rookie Miller Moss, who served as Williams' backup at USC in 2022-23. In his first college start in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, Moss was named offensive MVP after throwing for 372 yards and six TD passes in a 42-28 win over Louisville.
Moss passed for 2,555 yards and 18 TDs for USC in 2024 before transferring to Louisville in 2025, where he threw for a career-high 2,679 yards and 16 TDs.
