Ben Johnson didn’t even wait for a question to address the controversy he knew was coming.

The Chicago Bears head coach responded to Caleb Williams reportedly not wanting the Bears to draft him in 2024 on national TV the day the news broke, but he knew more inquiries were inevitable.

So, he decided to cut it off at the pass.

“It’s come to my attention that the quarterback has been out in the media over the last week,” Johnson told reporters after Wednesday’s OTA practice. “Just to get out in front of that a little bit, just wanted to say that I wasn’t here last year, so I can’t speak too much in terms of what it was like before (Williams) got here and when he got here last year, but for my four months on the job, he’s been outstanding to work with, and we are focusing on getting a little better every day.”

Salacious details about Williams’ father attempting to have Caleb avoid Chicago dropped in an excerpt of Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.”

One such detail was that Caleb Williams often would watch film alone. Another was Carl Williams calling Chicago “a place where quarterbacks go to die,” in reference to recent failures to develop highly drafted quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. You also could include Cade McNown and Rex Grossman on that list.

Johnson was asked about that quote, too. His response was telling and said a lot about him as a leader and a coach.

He didn’t sidestep the question. He didn’t push back against it. He faced it head on and said he would be the change.

“I love it. I love it,” Johnson said. “I love the opportunity to come on in and change that narrative. That’s where great stories are written. We’re looking to write a new chapter here, the 2025 Chicago Bears, and looking forward to the future.”

There’s no way the previous coaching staff would’ve handled it that way. None.

Johnson might work out as a head coach. He might not. That will come down to wins and losses. It’s very clear, though, that he’s an excellent leader and tone-setter. These are tough topics, and he handled them well.

He also wasn’t part of what the Williams family was concerned about in Chicago. That was the previous head coach and offensive coordinator, and they no longer work at Halas Hall.

Williams has said time and again that he’s excited to work with Johnson. Their personalities, as we see them in public, seem to mesh. There is optimism that Johnson will be able to get the most out of last year’s No. 1 overall pick.

There’s clearly mutual respect between them. Now it’s about forming a professional bond.

“It starts with developing a rapport and a trust, and that’s earned over time,” Johnson said. “You don’t walk in Day 1 and expect that to be achieved. The more time we spend together, he understands that I have his best interests at heart and vice versa. He’s going to go out there and play as well as he possibly can, not just for himself or me, but for the whole team and the city. That’s really what it comes down to.

“We’re very much aligned in terms of what we want to get done. It just takes more time on task, in terms of getting on the same page with how we’re going to do it.”