Bears Asking Caleb Williams To Make Less Superhero Plays In 2026

Caleb Williams repeatedly pulled off dazzling plays to lead improbable Chicago Bears victories. A coach wants less drama in 2026.

Williams orchestrated six comeback wins last season when the Bears trailed in the fourth quarter. The quarterback then erased a 21-3 deficit to eliminate the Green Bay Packers in the postseason's opening round and nearly pulled off another miracle when sending an NFC Divisional Round contest into overtime with an unreal touchdown throw.

As great as those moments were for Bears fans to witness, quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett hopes to see fewer of them this season. Per Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times, the former Ohio State quarterback wants the offense to execute better throughout the entire game.

"Late in some of those games, we were making some heroic plays . . . but it wasn't necessary if we execute in the first quarter and second quarter," Barrett said. "We might be up two touchdowns by the time we get to the fourth quarter.

"We can be efficient and take what the defense is giving. You don't necessarily have to put the cape on and make those crazy plays because you already were killing them in the first three quarters."

"We don't have to work as hard for our money"

Barrett relayed that Chicago's staff is urging Williams to "do less" during this third season under center. He thinks the offense can benefit from the Heisman Trophy winner taking more quick and easy gains.

"We don't have to work as hard for our money," Barrett said. "There's times where we could just work through our progression and get the ball out on time instead of having to create and extend plays."

Williams completed 58.1 percent of his passes last season, the lowest clip of any quarterback who played more than 10 games. The Bears are focused on elevating that rate.

"I don't think it's a hard sell, especially when you watch the elite players in our league do it for such a long time," Barrett said. "It's like poetry. These are the best people that play our game, and this is how they operate. This is the way it looks. There's Tom Brady doing it. You better than Tom?"

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 11:59 AM.