INDIANAPOLIS – Bears quarterback Caleb Williams met new head coach Ben Johnson at his introductory press conference, where it was clear the two had great respect for each other.

They spoke that day but haven’t had much communication since.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Bears on the Marquee Podcast: Exclusive interview with Ryan Poles
• How aggressive will Bears be in free agency?
• Ryan Poles discusses prospect of Kyler Gordon extension
• State of the Bears series: Biggest strengths; Contract moves; Biggest needs; Salary-cap situation; Free agency primer

That’s because they’re an odd tweener period where they’d love to start working together but aren’t allowed. NFL rules dictate mandatory dead periods in the NFL calendar, offering players a respite from the rigors of their sport.

That’ll change on April 7, when the Bears offseason program begins. The Bears want to set Williams up for success during what will be a rigorous offseason where’ll he’ll learn a new system with new terminology while going into the lab with Johnson to discover play designs and concepts that work best for him.

There’s something more important than all the schematics. A foundation of trust.

“We have to wait until the door opens and they can start working together and get off and running,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in an exclusive interview with Marquee Sports Network. “That relationship is going to be special, but it’s going to be critical for them to build that trust and be able to have honest conversations with each other in terms of what the expectations are. If they can get that done, we’ll be in a good spot.”

Johnson talked about getting back to the basics with Williams and the entire roster, with focus on fundamentals and technique this spring, establishing the culture and expectations down to the finest detail.

“We’re going to break it down to the studs and work to develop it from there,” Johnson said in a Tuesday press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine. “For Caleb, what are the important things about playing the quarterback position at the NFL level? It’s as simple as the procedure, the huddle, breaking the huddle, using cadence, motion, shifts, all those things that, that can help attack a defense, that we feel like can take another here in Chicago. That will be the starting point, and we’ll look to build around him as well with the talent level and the rest of the support staff.”

Despite the experience of Williams’ rookie season, Johnson’s essentially starting over with his young quarterback. They’ll keep building him up and building the rapport that the Bears believe will launch a period of sustained success. Once that happens, Johnson believes, Williams can truly shine.

There’s no hiding Johnson’s excitement level for that maximized potential, considering Williams possesses physical gifts Johnson hasn’t worked with before.

“As much as you want to make it pure progression one to two to three, there’s just too much variety,” Johnson said. “The pass rush is coming down, and to have an athlete like Caleb extend the play and potentially find an explosive down the field, that’s what gets me going a little bit.

“I get excited thinking about that because I haven’t really been around that since I’ve been in the league. But I’ve been on the other side and I’ve experienced it. It’s demoralizing when you’re on the other side and you’re watching that happen to your defense.”