4 Bears to Watch In Preseason Week 1 Against the Bills

In the wake of arguably the most tide-shifting offseason in Chicago Bears history, we’re finally here. Week Zero against Houston notwithstanding, football is back!

After winning by weather-delay TKO against the Texans, the Bears are currently undefeated, alongside other 1-0 powerhouses in the Giants and Patriots. The Hall of Fame game may have done little more to inform us about this team’s fate than Hard Knocks, but the roster crunch begins now. 53-man rosters are due on August 27th. Save for one HOF game standout, the time to win your spot on the field begins against Buffalo.

In a much-anticipated update, head coach Matt Eberflus has also confirmed that available starters are going to participate on Saturday. Presumptive franchise saviors will take the field for the first time abreast veterans looking to prove their worth to an ascending Bears squad. Who should we have our eyes on while flipping away from Olympic water polo? Let’s take a look.

1. Caleb Williams

Finally. Williams garnered more than enough hype in college, playing his way into the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft – landing in Chicago has exponentially accelerated the suspense of his debut. After not suiting up against the Texans, Williams hits the turf as the promised prince. The one to end the suffering of a franchise whose single-season passing leader is still Erik Kramer (!) with 3,838 yards in 1995.

In the cacophony of excitement, all we need to see is a basic connection with his star wide-outs. Keenan Allen and DJ Moore have proven themselves to be quarterback-friendly, and Caleb is coming off his first training camp as a pro. Complete a confidence-inducing pass to those two and Rome Odunze, and put that arm back on ice.

What will this ultimately prove? Well, hopefully, nothing. Quarterbacks of much lower prestige have deluded fans into half-baked predictions of in-season greatness because of a few preseason quarters (see: Justin Fields, Kenny Pickett). His only job is to not look abjectly terrible. No star hooper was benched for bricking a few threes in shootaround.

Qualifiers out of the way, Williams making his debut in navy and orange is going to be surreal. This is the guy Chicago never had a chance to acquire. His presence (plus David Tepper & Co’s… generosity) is a miracle. If there’s one thing worth watching in this otherwise banal preseason matchup, it’s Caleb Williams’ first pass as a Chicago Bear.