CHICAGO — Caleb Williams is set to make his preseason debut with the Chicago Bears Saturday, while head coach Matt Eberflus gave injury updates to key starters on both sides of the ball Thursday.
“Caleb [Williams] and the starters who are available to us, in terms of not injured right now,” Eberflus said about who to expect on the field Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.
Eberflus went on to say Williams will play multiple drives, barring a “monster drive of 65 plays,” at which point, the Bears head coach said he would probably pull the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
“This is his first time in live action. He’s been getting a lot of good reps with our [starting] defense so, I think it will feel similar to him.”
The Bears made Williams the top choice in the 2024 NFL Draft after the Washington D.C.-native’s draft stock soared following impressive performances over the past few years at the University of Oklahoma and USC.
Williams and the rest of Chicago’s starters did not play last week in what amounted to a rain-shortened 21-17 victory against the Houston Texans in the NFL’s annual Canton Pro Football Hall of Fame game.
On the opposite sideline, the Bills are also expected to play their starters during the first quarter.
Depth being tested on the offensive line
The Bears have yet to name a starting center, and starting right guard Nate Davis has continued to face setback after setback recovering from a soft tissue injury.
“We had him back in there, it was individual. There were some reps, and then he felt it again, so he’s dealing with some soft tissue stuff,” Eberflus said. “We had to bring him back down and take him out. So again, we’ll start that process over and we’ll see where it goes.
“I think [Davis is] listed as week-to-week.”
Throughout the week, Coleman Shelton has spent most of his first-team snaps at center, while Ryan Bates has filled in at right guard as Davis hits the reset button on his recovery clock.
“Of course you want to take care of your body throughout camp and preseason, but at the same time you need those reps to get better,” said left guard Teven Jenkins. “And Caleb also benefits from those reps, having the [starting] line out there as well so, as long as he’s out there, I want to be out there.”
“Lean on the work”
19-year NFL veteran Marcedes Lewis said he isn’t too concerned with the offense’s struggles in practice, and there’s one important piece that gives him confidence their play will level out.
“As far as what we’re going to be able to do, we’re not even worried about it,” Lewis said. “We’re just going to lean on the work. We understand that not every day is going to be beautiful out there, but if you keep working through it, come September we’ll be just fine.”
It’s a cautious optimism shared by defenders on the other side of the ball as well, who have continued to test the abilities of a young QB.
“I can say that I have confidence in him because we’ve got a good defense,” said linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. “I can tell by how he responds to certain situations.”
Eberflus expresses cautious optimism on Kyler Gordon’s recovery
Speaking of cautious optimism, cornerback Kyler Gordon looked like he was close to being back to full health at practice Thursday, but Eberflus expressed they’re being careful with easing Gordon back into the swing of things.
“There’s a delicate balance here because we have to make sure it’s right,” Eberflus said of Gordon’s injury (tightness). “But also, he’s working hard, diligently to get back because we know we have to have that conditioning level, the playing with the other players in terms of the continuity for that unit to be able to thrive.”
The Chicago Bears take on the Buffalo Bills at noon CT Saturday in Buffalo.