The Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans will face off in this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame game on Thursday, August 1st. Many fans were hoping to get their first look at rookie QB Caleb Williams in a professional game. However, there has been a significant update regarding Williams’ status for Thursday night. And football fans will not be happy about it.
Caleb Williams Not Playing in HOF Game
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Chicago Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams will not play in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night. Bears starters in general will not see the field for this game.
As a result, it will mostly be players trying to make Chicago’s 53-man roster who will be taking the field. One of those players is QB Tyson Bagent, who will be the starting quarterback on Thursday instead of Williams. Football fans will have to wait for another game to get their first glimpse at Caleb Williams.
High Anticipation for Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams may arguably be the most highly anticipated quarterback to enter the NFL since Andrew Luck in 2012. He was a star in college no matter where he was playing. Under head coach Lincoln Riley, he made his college debut at Oklahoma before following Riley to USC. It was there where Williams developed into the undoubted top overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Because Williams had high expectations, it resulted in the Bears having to make a drastic move this offseason. That move was trading QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was not an easy decision for the Bears since they drafted him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears Moving Forward
Since the Chicago Bears are not playing any of their starters in Thursday’s game, it appears head coach Matt Eberflus is playing it safe to start the preseason. However, there is an extra opportunity for Caleb Williams to see some playing time before the regular season begins. We will have to wait and see if Eberflus will take advantage of this.
The Chicago Bears have high expectations entering the 2024 season thanks to Williams. However, they will arguably be in the toughest division in the NFL, competing against promising teams like the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions in the NFC North to attempt to meet these high expectations.
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