Expectations for Caleb Williams, Bears' Top Rookies in Preseason
The 2024 Chicago Bears season is all about Caleb Williams.
Williams' every move will be closely watched throughout every day of training camp and each of the three preseason games.
Williams may be treated differently than other starting quarterbacks, at least at the start of preseason, because he needs to get on-field reps with the first-team players.
The rookie out of USC will not play an extensive amount of snaps, but in the time he is on the gridiron, he has an opportunity to showcase how he can elevate the Bears offense.
Williams' fellow first-round pick, Rome Odunze, may have a bigger opportunity to make an impact in preseason because of where he stands on the depth chart.
Odunze should receive plenty of reps to show why the Bears have three high-quality pass-catchers to work with Williams.
Caleb Williams
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No one is expecting Caleb Williams to throw for 300 yards in a single preseason game.
He might not even throw for 300 total yards across the four preseason contests against the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.
Statistics should not matter when evaluating Williams' preseason performances, no matter how many games he plays in.
Williams needs to make the right reads and display chemistry with Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet.
As long as the first-team offense is on the same page, the Bears will be happy with where they stand going into the regular season.
Rome Odunze
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Rome Odunze's preseason has two different paths it could take.
Odunze could be elevated into the tier of players who do not need a ton of preseason playing time, which would signal how much the Bears coaching staff value his skill set.
The first-round pick out of Washington could also play a decent amount of snaps in the first few games to get used to the NFL game speed.
He probably should not be on the field in the fourth preseason game, but he may be on the field more in the first three than Allen and Moore just to get more reps under him.
There's always the chance he impresses so much in the Hall of Fame Game against Houston and versus Buffalo where the coaching staff preserves him for the regular season.
Either way, Odunze has the expectation to marvel with his route running and pass catching to prove the Bears potentially have three No. 1 wide receivers on their roster.
Austin Booker
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A majority of the Bears rookie focus will be on the offense, and understandably so, but some eyes should be on fifth-round pick Austin Booker and how he adapts to the defense.
Booker was brought in as pass-rushing help behind Montez Sweat.
There is a good chance that Sweat plays minimal snaps in the preseason, which would open up plenty of playing time for Booker.
The fifth-round pick could be the most impactful Bears rookie in preseason because of his role and a few other factors.
Third-round pick Kiran Amegadije is dealing with a quadricep issue and fourth-round pick punter Tory Taylor will on be on the field in punting situations.
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