Hope in Chicago tends to be a dangerous cocktail—one that usually leaves Bears fans with nothing but a crushing hangover. Year after year, the franchise mishandles the quarterback position, leading to mass firings and yet another rebuild. But now, just two and a half months into 2025, there’s a real argument that the Bears are having the best offseason in the league.
This time, things have to be different… right? Maybe?
For starters, ownership landed the top coaching candidate on the market. Offensive mastermind Ben Johnson is now teamed up with 2024’s No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams. Given Johnson’s innovative offensive schemes in Detroit, expectations are understandably sky-high. And Williams won’t be lacking weapons. With D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet, and the newly acquired Olamide Zaccheaus, he has an arsenal of playmakers at his disposal. More importantly, the protection up front has been solidified. After enduring 68 sacks as a rookie, Williams now benefits from a fortified interior, thanks to Chicago’s aggressive moves to trade for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, as well as signing center Drew Dalman.
We’ll be watching the Bears closely here at Go Long.
This team—and more specifically, this quarterback—has layers worth unpacking.
At the heart of Chicago’s potential success is the relationship between head coach and quarterback, arguably the most critical bond in football. To better understand this dynamic, I had an in-depth conversation with Will Hewlett of CORTX, the quarterback coach who has worked with Williams for years. Their connection dates back to Williams’ seventh-grade days, continued through his Oklahoma and USC tenures, and solidified when Williams personally chose Hewlett to prepare him for the NFL Draft.
Hewlett’s own journey is unconventional. A former quarterback at both the Division I and Division III levels, he briefly played in Arena Football before pivoting to sales—cars, mortgages, and even construction. Coaching wasn’t on his radar until a co-worker at the dealership asked him to help train her son. That small favor ignited a passion. Hewlett realized his own career had suffered due to a lack of scientifically backed training. Determined to change that, he immersed himself in baseball, golf, and even European biomechanics, refining his expertise to the point where he now works with multiple pros, including San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy.
Chicago’s history at quarterback is well-documented—and mostly disastrous. Are better days ahead? Time will tell. But one thing’s for certain: this season is bound to swing dramatically in one direction or the other.