The Curious Case of Caleb Williams: Unveiling the Bears’ Quarterback Strategy in the NFL Preseason Opener

Since the Bears picked quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, they’ve been treating him like a veteran. He was named the starter for his rookie season not long after he was drafted.

There’s no training camp competition for Williams. He’s dominated first-team reps in practice. The Bears don’t need to figure out anything with him — he will be out there leading the offense come Week 1 of the regular season at home vs. the Titans.

That makes it tricky when to give Williams playing time in the preseason. Coach Matt Eberflus, along with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and GM Ryan Poles, took time with the decision of whether Williams should play in Thursday’s Hall of Fame game, the league-wide exhibition opener vs. the Texans in Canton, Ohio, but they ultimately decided the new franchise QB will sit out the first game of his professional career.

No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will not make his preseason debut Thursday night in Canton, Ohio vs. the Texans. Bears do not plan to play their starters Thursday.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 30, 2024

Late last week, Eberflus hinted team officials would make a call on Williams “soon,” and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Tuesday afternoon. Bears fans are eager to see Williams take a real field, but the potential of a national prime-time debut didn’t force the coach to give into the demand.

Why isn’t Caleb Williams playing in the Hall of Fame game?

Bears’ coach Matt Eberflus announced Tuesday that none of Chicago’s starters will play on Thursday night, saying, “It’s a great opportunity for the role players on our team.”

Williams is a relentless competitor and used to being on the marquee at USC. He told reporters on Monday he would prefer to play for live reps that are different from practices.

“I always think there’s more pros than cons in anything, especially for a young guy like myself,” Williams said. “The reps are always paramount for anybody like myself, a young rookie, a second-year guy, a third-year guy, it’s paramount. It’s really important and we’ll see about these preseason games coming, how they will play out.”

The Bears do have an extra fourth game, so expect a few reps in actual Week 1 of the preseason at the Bills, nine days after the Hall of Fame game. From there, Williams will have plenty of time to get in more series ahead of the regular season.

‘Pros’ of Williams playing in the Hall of Fame game

Williams is a smart, quick study and is picking up reading NFL defenses well. Even though preseason opponents will be a bit vanilla in their pressure and coverage looks, it’s a different feel to stare down another team vs. teammates in practice.

Williams was a high-profile college QB used to starting and that’s his nature to give it a brief shot. One or two series can get him comfortable and help set the tone for the confidence in his rookie season. He has been operating like the No. 1 for a while, so it makes sense to get that treatment given there’s been so much anticipation.

Playing earlier in the preseason could also allow the Bears to more easily rest Williams in Week 2 or Week 3, countering the risk of injury closer to the regular season. Williams could have accelerated his learning on the fly with a few more advanced reps that he can only get in games.

‘Cons’ of Caleb Williams playing in the Hall of Fame game?

Williams has little left to prove to the Bears he deserves to be starting as a rookie. In that sense, he’s getting the veteran treatment. If that’s the case, why would they expose him to any extra risk early when the team can take advantage of mental preparation now before going through with his physical debut in preseason Week 1 or 2?

Williams has been on schedule all offseason, and in a normal preseason-game timetable, he wouldn’t need to be pressed into being ready to handle a start on Aug. 3. The Bears are on “Hard Knocks,” and the hype for their season starts with a showcase game for ESPN and ABC. But they might be smarter not feeding those reels with Williams, even though his debut is much anticipated.

The Bears, however it goes down, don’t need to sweat about the decision. The main idea is whenever they let Williams play the preseason, he builds on his camp practice work and avoids injury. It just would be nice to see him go to work sooner rather than a little later in Canton, but Chicago is choosing to play it safe with their franchise QB.