There have been moments this summer, from a viral video of an errant throw to different reports about Ben Johnson’s offense, in which it hasn’t been obvious whether Caleb Williams was ready to take a leap in his second season in the NFL.
But that’s exactly what the Chicago Bears need out of the quarterback they chose No. 1 overall in 2024.
Williams will get his first big test of the preseason on Saturday. He’ll have plenty to prove and adjust to.
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He didn’t play in Chicago’s preseason opener, but when the Bears host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Williams and the rest of Chicago’s starters will be out there.
“Well, last week — and really, all through camp — I’ve been pretty consistent with the thought of reps, reps, reps are the most important thing to get him up to speed,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday in a press conference. “And by the plan that we had a week ago, we were able to get him probably somewhere between 80 and 100 more reps than we would’ve been able to do had he played in the game. This week, it’s a different schedule. Different length of time in terms of in between games and all that. And so, our plan right now is the guys that sat out last week, they will be playing this week.”
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Johnson hasn’t decided yet, or at least hasn’t announced publicly yet, how long Williams will play.
The Bears and Bills have a joint practice Friday. That could also provide a chance at key reps.
This will be the first time Williams hears Johnson in his helmet calling plays in a game.
The Bills and Bears will kick off Sunday night at 8 p.m. and will be nationally televised on Fox.
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