Bears Shed Early Insight on Preseason Plan for Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears will finally begin this year's training camp sessions on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, Bears fans are dying to see the team's new offseason additions in action this summer, especially the 2024 first-overall selection and face of the franchise Caleb Williams.
While Williams has all the tools to lead the Bears for years to come, we've yet to see him in NFL action. That'll change once the preseason arrives next month, however, Chicago fanatics are wondering just how many snaps he'll see. After all, it isn't like has to compete with anyone for the QB1 job.
Fortunately for curious supporters, the Bears have shed some light on their preseason plans for the 22-year-old.
Bears News: Caleb Williams to see '40-45' Preseason Reps
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed that Williams will play in the 2024 NFL preseason on Friday, per The Athletic's Adam Jahns. While Eberflus and his staff still haven't circled in on an official number, there's a good chance that the ex-Trojan's rep count will be "in the 40-45 range."
No surprise but Matt Eberflus said that Caleb Williams will play in the preseason. The Bears are still determining how many reps that it could be but it could be in the 40-45 range.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 19, 2024
Even though there's value to seeing preseason snaps, Eberflus added that it's a "week-to-week" situation and that Williams can still learn a lot by facing the Bears' world-class defense in practice. Other factors such as health could affect how often Chicago uses its rookie QB next month.
"I know the guys last year got 45 to 55 reps, in terms of those guys. And we’re looking at that right in that range [for Williams] — we’ll see. But, again, it’s always week to week because you have to see what the health of your line is and where everybody is."
- Bears HC Matt Eberflus
Williams' projected rep count seems about right for this stage of his NFL career. After all, the Bears limited Justin Fields to 49 passing attempts his first preseason before lowering it to 30 as a sophomore and nine in Year 3.
Even if you want to look at different organizations, here's a look at the passing attempts for the No. 1 QB of each of the last five draft classes in their first preseason.
- 2023: Bryce Young (1st overall) — 24
- 2022: Kenny Pickett (20th overall) — 36
- 2021: Trevor Lawrence (1st overall) — 44
- 2020: Joe Burrow (1st overall) — No preseason
- 2019: Kyler Murray (1st overall) — 36
- 2018: Baker Mayfield (1st overall) — 61
Not counting the 2020 exhibition slate (which was canceled because of COVID-19), the last five highest-drafted QBs have averaged 40.2 preseason passing attempts. Assuming that Eberflus follows his plan, Williams will likely follow that average.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner dazzled fans with back-to-back stellar campaigns at USC. He completed 67.5% of his passes across 26 games with the Trojans, racking up 8,170 passing yards and 72 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while earning numerous accolades. Time will tell if he can experience similar success at the NFL level.
With a ton of fanfare surrounding him, Williams is also FanDuel Sportsbook's +140 favorite to be named the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. With weapons like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze at his disposal, it's hard to argue against those odds.
The good news is that Chicago fans won't have to wait long to potentially see this year's top draft pick. The Bears will open the NFL preseason on Thursday, Aug. 1 when they face the Las Vegas Raiders in this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
More Bears news and rumors:
feed