Colston Loveland tells the truth on Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson ‘tension’

Colston Loveland was a first-hand witness to the dynamic between Chicago Bears cornerstone quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson.

Loveland joined the Bears as a rookie last season following a remarkable college career at Michigan. He arrived a few months after Chicago signed Johnson as its new head coach, replacing Matt Eberflus.

Johnson came in just as Williams was entering his second season. The former USC standout made waves during his rookie year in 2024, but few would dispute that Williams was far from his best.

It all changed for Williams in Year 2, and Johnson played a key role in his rise. In his second season, the quarterback completed 330 passes for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns. He led the Bears to the NFC North title behind an 11-6 record.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chicago Bears: How Ben Johnson pushed Caleb Williams

It wasn’t always sunny in Chicago, though. The start of Johnson and Williams’ relationship was characterized by early criticism. While the coach constantly praised his quarterback, Johnson wasn’t shy about calling out Williams’ shortcomings either.

Loveland witnesses the tension firsthand.

“Yeah, tension. Good tension, though,” Loveland said on a recent appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast. “Really pushing him, putting a lot on his plate, seeing what he could handle. Long play calls, throwing everything at him and us as a team, seeing what we can handle.

“But seeing the transition from OTAs to struggling to get plays off. Everyone’s learning this new playbook, big playbook, and his playbook is so detailed too. Just seeing how the landmarks, the alignments, every little thing, what arm you put the ball in, everything is so detailed. He coaches it hard on everything, all the coaches do.”

Loveland knew that there was method to the madness. Johnson’s rigorous approach was not exclusive to Williams as it extended to every single person on the squad. The results proved that Johnson’s methods work, and Loveland is looking forward to what’s to come.

“But then seeing, all right, we’re going to throw all this at him during OTAs and camp, see what he can handle, see what we can handle,” continued the young TE. “And then, I mean, you’ve seen it throughout the year. It just finally clicked, and now going into year two, even more coming.”

Williams and Johnson reached new heights in their first year together. Now, even more is expected in the coming season.