Fans across the NFL have been patiently awaiting the NFL debut of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. But on Tuesday, it was revealed that Williams’ debut will not come as soon as many anticipated.
The Bears are set to face off against the Houston Texans on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game, the first preseason game of the season.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, this game will not feature Williams, or any of the other Bears starters for that matter, as they will be sitting out the game. Instead, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus detailed that Tyson Bagent will be starting in the game.
The #Bears starters (including Caleb Williams) won’t play in the Hall of Fame game, coach Matt Eberflus told reporters. Tyson Bagent, who has been grinding his absolute face off, will start at QB.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2024
Williams has already been dubbed the starting quarterback heading into the 2024-25 season by Eberflus. So there isn’t exactly all that much for the former USC product to prove to the Bears coaching staff.
But with that being said, there are some positives to having young players without any in-game reps in the NFL like Williams see the field as much as possible in the preseason.
The Bears obviously feel differently about the situation. So it will be interesting to see when the Bears do indeed plan to have Williams take the field for the first time as an NFL quarterback.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.