There will be a pair of notable debuts at Soldier Field this weekend.
Caleb Williams will make his first start at quarterback for the Bears and Brian Callahan of the Titans will be a head coach for the first time. Callahan said on Monday that he is “a huge fan of Caleb Williams and what he did at USC,” but he won’t be admiring the quarterback this Sunday. Callahan will be trying to make sure that the first overall pick experiences his first NFL loss.
“He’s everything a No. 1 pick you would expect to be,” Callahan said, via Nick Suss of the Tennessean. “You have to treat him as such and treat him with that kind of respect. Obviously you have to earn that in this league. He’s got to do it in regular-season games. I just hope it isn’t in the first week.”
History is against Williams. No quarterback picked first overall has won a Week One start since David Carr in 2002 and Callahan will be trying to extend that streak of futility at least one year longer this weekend.