It sounds like we’ll be seeing a lot of this year’s top draft pick during the August games.
Coach Matt Eberflus mentioned in his press conference on Friday that the Bears intend to give quarterback Caleb Williams plenty of opportunities to play in preseason games as he prepares for his rookie season.
“We discussed this in the spring, looking at what other players have done in the past. We definitely want to do that,” Eberflus said.
“We’ll decide week by week. All the reps are valuable because he’ll be facing the top defense. In preseason games, you don’t always get the same looks you do in practice.
“So there’s value in practicing against the top defense every day and also getting some preseason game reps.”
Regarding the number of snaps Williams will get in preseason games, Eberflus said they’re still discussing it.
“We haven’t made any decisions yet, but we definitely want to give him some reps,” Eberflus said. “Last year, guys got 45 to 55 reps, so we’re looking in that range. But it depends week by week on the health of our players and where everyone is at. Every exposure is valuable.”
Chicago will play four preseason games this year because they’re also playing in the Hall of Fame game against Houston on Aug. 1. After that, they play the Bills on Aug. 10, the Bengals on Aug. 17, and the Chiefs on Aug. 22.
