Will the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 draft pick suit up for his first preseason playing opportunity?
That’s the question that has been haunting former Heisman Trophy-winning USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams all summer.
Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears practices during the Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall on June 06, 2024 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Williams will not suit up for Chicago in Thursday’s Hall of Fame preseason game.
Quinn Harris/Getty Images
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Now, at least, we have an answer to that initial question.
Per Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has now revealed that none of his projected 2024 starters, including Williams, will suit up for the club’s Hall of Fame contest against the Houston Texans, slated for Thursday in Canton, Ohio.
Bears fans are going to have to wait to see Caleb Williams in any sort of game action.
HC Matt Eberflus announces that starters will not play in this week’s Hall of Fame game. pic.twitter.com/7tqAeRZ1EW
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) July 30, 2024
“They’re not playing in the Hall of Fame game,” Eberflus said. “We feel really good [about] where they are right now, in terms of the practices we’ve had so far. We have another one tomorrow.”
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Ahead of this news, Williams had previously expressed a desire to suit up for at least a few snaps, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com.
“I would love to get out there and play,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome to be at Canton, but it’s coach’s decision.”
“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.”
This year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class, who will be enshrined this week, is especially Bears-centric. The group includes the most prolific punt returner in the history of the NFL, former three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl Chicago special teamer/wide receiver Devin Hester, former 1985 Bears-era Super Bowl champion defensive end Steve McMichael, and six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl defensive end and linebacker Julius Peppers.
This story will be updated…
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
