How Bears feel Caleb Williams will benefit from preseason opener even though he didn’t play

How Bears feel Caleb Williams will benefit from preseason opener even though he didn’t play originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears have a meticulous development plan for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to prepare for liftoff when their season-opener against the Tennessee Titans arrives Sept. 8.

That plan calls for between 45 and 55 preseason snaps, none of which came Thursday night in the Bears’ 21-17 win over the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

While Williams and the starters spent the evening in sweatpants on the sideline, the Bears still believe Thursday night’s experience was valuable for their new franchise signal-caller.

“Yeah, it’s his first time going through pregame, first time getting al the information,” head coach Matt Eberflus said after the Bears’ weather-shortened win. “He was right there with halftime adjustments, so he got to see that for the first time. You know, it’s not college where you’ve got 30-minute halftime and you can put a whole new offense. I mean, you come out running the wishbone. It’s fast.”

Eberflus and the Bears have been pleased with Williams’ growth during the summer and early part of training camp. Williams is expected to make his preseason debut next Saturday when the Bears face the Bills in Buffalo.

But that will come after what Eberflus said will be a “physical week” of practice for a team that has a lot of work to do between now and Week 1.

“Yeah, it’s really just going through the whole process,” Eberflus said when asked what he needs to see from Williams to have him start in Buffalo. “This is a big week for us. We got to really make strides. We got to have a sense of urgency. We got to get better now. We got to see that from everybody.”

Williams’ teammates have all raved about the fast progress the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is making in camp. Even on days when the Bears’ defense dominates practice, Williams’ rare talent seeps through.

“Shoot, just how he…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-feel-caleb-williams-benefit-042821316.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-08-02 04:28:21

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