Bears Make Big Caleb Williams Announcement for Preseason Week 1
Last Thursday, the Chicago Bears faced the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame game. While participating in this game is always an honor, it’s an additional preseason matchup where starters usually don't see action. This year was no exception, with both the Bears and Texans opting to sit their first-stringers.
That meant Chicago fans missed the chance to see rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Although fans were originally disappointed by this, once they saw players slipping all over the field because of poor field conditions, they understood the decision.
Heading into the first official week of the preseason against the Buffalo Bills, it's crucial for Williams and the starters to get valuable reps. However, throughout much of training camp this week, the starting offensive line struggled with injuries, raising concerns about their availability.
Fortunately, during Thursday's practice, the starting offensive line was back to full strength, with the exception of Nate Davis. With the Bears offensive line being 95% healthy going into Saturday's game against the Bills, coach Matt Eberflus confirmed the starters will be playing on Saturday in his press conference on Thursday.
Matt Eberflus says #Bears QB Caleb Williams will start Saturday afternoon at Buffalo. “We want to see a good flow and rhythm to it” but he won’t detail a general play count. Starters that are available are playing.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 8, 2024
Eberflus's announcement marks the beginning of the Caleb Williams era in Chicago. While this is an exciting development, two things need to be kept in mind: 1) Williams and the starters will be on a pitch count, and 2) It's ok if he has some struggles.
Let's get the obvious out of the way since it's the preseason everyone is on a pitch count. While everyone would love to see Williams play a full game, it's not yet time for that. But, it will be in just under a month.
The other important thing to remember is that it's okay if Williams struggles. Although everyone is extremely excited to see Williams play., it's important to remember these will be his first full-speed NFL game reps.
While the Bears have been practicing extremely hard to get him ready for this moment, there are bound to be some growing pains. Williams's struggling and working through it in the preseason will mean he is more prepared for the regular season, which is what is most important.
Strap in for some ups and downs during Williams first preseason game against the Bills on Saturday.
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