Will No. 1 Overall Pick Caleb Williams Make His NFL Debut in Preseason? Bears HC Weighs In

The NFL world is eagerly awaiting to see what former USC Trojans phenom Caleb Williams can do at the professional level. Williams left the Trojans with a Heisman Trophy, and a second nomination, though the 2023 award went to LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

Williams leaves college as arguably the best prospect football has seen, though there is no guarantee that he will be a superstar in the NFL. The Chicago Bears are hoping for this result, especially considering they have been without a true franchise quarterback since Jay Cutler if he could be considered as such.

Williams has gone about his draft in a unique way as well, skipping the NFL Combine, instead opting to throw at USC’s Pro Day. The rookie also signed his rookie contract after much negotiation and attempting to become the first rookie to secure a no-tag clause in his contract, which the Bears denied.

Given Wiliams’ unique way of handling things, it would be believed he might want to opt out of playing in preseason games, especially considering he has already been named the starting quarterback.

NLF starting-caliber quarterbacks often play in preseason, but not to the degree that backups do. Oftentimes they play in one or two offensive series’ during the third and final preseason game. Williams could attempt something similar, but he is a rookie.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus understands this and has revealed if Williams will make his professional debut during preseason.

When speaking to reporters, Eberflus spoke about the plan for Williams when it comes to preseason.

“We talked about that in the spring a little bit, about looking back at what some other guys have done in the past. And yeah, we’ll take that week-to-week. But there’s value in, really, all the reps when you think about it because he’s going to be going against the [No.] 1 defense. In preseason games, you don’t get all the looks, sometimes, that you would get during practice,” Eberflus stated.

Despite maybe wanting to be cautious with Williams, as preseason injuries happen all the time, it sounds like the rookie will be getting some much-needed reps in preseason.

Eberflus also indicated that the Bears quarterbacks last season got around 45 to 55 reps during preseason, which could be around what the team is attempting to give Williams. Then again, being the starter, that number could shrink.

Again, Williams has already been named as the starting quarterback and most teams make sure to protect that fact. Either way, it appears Williams will be making his professional debut this August.