Back in March before the Bears made their selection of Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall official, Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson made a comment in an interview about the quarterback’s “Hollywood stuff” not mattering in the NFL.
Johnson has since noted that he and Williams “cleared the air” about that comment, with Williams noting that he just wants to win. And now that the two have shared an offseason program, Johnson is feeling positive about Chicago’s new quarterback this summer.
“It’s tough for me because even when I did say that, I was never accusing him of being that type of guy,” Johnson said of his “Hollywood” comment in an interview with Jim Rome this week. “I think more so … [the interview] got taken out of context. But I feel like even with it being reality, now having him in our locker room and in our building, he’s not like that. I think it’s something that the media and that certain people put on him from the outside looking in. And people kind of see the way that he carries himself and they could feel like he’s Hollywood, I guess.
“But actually being around him, talking to him, seeing him with his family and different things like that, talking to the rookies — I mean, he’s not like that. So I think for me, it’s kind of a weird situation to be able to see him in person and kind of think like, ‘What was everybody talking about? What were the issues, the concerns?’”
So even though Williams played his college ball in Los Angeles, Johnson sees the quarterback as having the right kind of mentality to represent Chicago.
“He fits in perfectly,” Johnson said. “He comes into work. I feel like coming to the Bears and the city of Chicago, things that we’re kind of fighting against — it’s really just a hard-nosed city. I mean, the fans are hard-nosed, our team is hard-nosed and has kind of been built on that. And I think he’s coming in and fitting in perfectly.
“We were able to push him as a defense and then be able to see how he bounced back and responded and did certain things back. So, I think he’s fitting in perfect. I can’t wait for this camp to really see him take these next steps and lead us to some wins.”
After the Bears finished 7-10 in 2023, the club will begin the Williams era at home against the Titans on Sept. 8.
