Ben Johnson is working to establish a proper tone with his roster and throughout Halas Hall during his first offseason program as Bears head coach. He’s building relationships and trust each day that will help make believers out of those around him.

Sometimes it comes with a handshake and smile. Others require some tough love when things fall below the standard set. Johnson’s striking that balance right now with so many.

There might be no more important effort than his working partnership with quarterback Caleb Williams.

Bears play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak can see that developing in real time during the team’s offseason program, between last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick and this year’s top head-coaching candidate.

There are tons of talent among them. Finding cohesion is as important as anything to reach the partnership’s full potential.

Joniak discussed that chemistry-building endeavor and much more during this week’s episode of Marquee Sports Network’s Chicago Football Show.

HOW TO LISTEN TO/WATCH THE CHICAGO FOOTBALL SHOW:

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jeff-joniak-updates-state-of-the-bears-during/id1771494807?i=1000710182049
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tWF1V73Y40ISUgZzLptXY
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoeHOFPvGEM&t=2137s
• Watch Marquee app: https://watchmarquee.com/watch/msn_CMPA0151748373726076_marqueesportsnetwork.com_episod

“It has been stated that Caleb wants to be coached hard and Ben will coach him hard,” Joniak said. “He’s going to have an expectation for every snap. There can be no other way to put it. You’re not going to run by mistakes. You’re gonna have to execute. I think, if you want it as a person, then you’ve got the guy to do it for you. It’s going to be Ben Johnson.”

Johnson and Williams have previously stated they think their personalities will mesh. The common link, and internal, insatiable desire for excellence.

“I think Caleb wants to be great,” Joniak said. “He has wanted to be great since he started falling in love with this game. Why not have … the No. 1 head coach on the market in this hiring cycle and a guy who is just scratching the surface of his career as a head coach. The two of them can grow like we’ve witnessed other head coach-quarterback pairings that we have been jealous of around the league for years. And that is critical. Those two guys are gonna be paired, winning Super Bowls, hopefully, in the near term.”

While there isn’t a worst-to-first demand in 2025, there’s an opportunity to capitalize on a three-year window where the Bears have aggressive used their salary-cap space to upgrade the roster around their talented, young quarterback.

“You have to take advantage of this moment now,” Joniak said. “You have a second-year quarterback on a rookie contract, and you have to make the most of this time. This time is critical. There cannot be a major peel back. It has to be a major step forward.”