From the sounds of it, we can expect to see plenty of this year’s No. 1 overall pick during the games in August.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said in his Friday press conference that the Bears plan to give quarterback Caleb Williams significant preseason reps, as the 2024 top pick prepares for his rookie season.
“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 certainly want to do that,” Eberflus said. “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.
“So I think there’s equal value to going against the ones every single day and also getting some of those preseason reps as well.”
As for a specific number of snaps in the exhibition games, Eberflus said that’s still under discussion.
“We haven’t made any decisions, but certainly want to get him some reps,” Eberflus said. “I know the guys last year got 45 to 55 reps, in terms of those guys. And we’re looking at that right in that range — we’ll see. But, again, it’s always week to week because you have to see what the health of your line is and where everybody is. But, certainly, all those exposures are equally as valuable.”
Chicago has four preseason contests this year because the club is playing Houston in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 1. The Bears then take on the Bills on Aug. 10, the Bengals on Aug. 17, and the Chiefs on Aug. 22.
