Bears' Caleb Williams Won't Make NFL Preseason Debut in Hall of Fame Game vs. Texans

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Tuesday that he will not play his starters in Thursday night's preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans.

That means rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams will not see any game action in the contest.

Eberflus added that backup Tyson Bagent will start the game at quarterback, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

While rookie quarterbacks are often tasked with competing for the starting job, Eberflus erased all doubt back in May when he named Williams the immediate starter.

Chicago took Williams first overall in this year's draft after he enjoyed a spectacular collegiate career at Oklahoma and USC.

After seeing extensive playing time at Oklahoma as a freshman, Williams transferred to USC in 2022 and went on to win the Heisman Trophy, completing 66.6 percent of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 10 scores.

Williams' numbers didn't quite reach 2022 levels last season, but he was still among the best quarterbacks in the nation, completing 68.6 percent of his passing attempts for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five picks to go along with 11 rushing scores.

The Bears were so enamored with Williams' talent that they made the difficult decision to move on from 2021 No. 11 overall pick Justin Fields, trading the dual-threat quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Quarterback play has long been an issue for the Bears, and the fact that they are the only franchise to never have a 4,000-yard passer in a single season has become something of a punchline among football fans.

Williams will look to put an end to the Bears' quarterback curse, and he will have every opportunity to prove himself as a rookie.

However, since Williams won't be in the lineup Thursday, his first chance to suit up could come on Aug. 10 when the Bears face the Buffalo Bills on the road in their next preseason game.

Along with Williams, some of the other key players who figure to sit Thursday include wide receivers D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, running back D'Andre Swift, tight end Cole Kmet, EDGE Montez Sweat, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.