Caleb Williams to Make NFL Preseason Debut for Bears vs. Bills; Starters Will Play

Caleb Williams—the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft—will make his NFL in-game debut as the starting quarterback Saturday when the Chicago Bears go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills in preseason action.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Thursday that Williams and all of the team's other available starters will play Saturday after sitting out the team's preseason opener against the Houston Texans last week.

While Eberflus did not give a precise answer to how long he intends on playing Williams and the other starters, he said, "We want to see a good flow and rhythm to it."

The 22-year-old Williams enjoyed a spectacular college career at USC, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2022 after throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 382 yards and 10 scores.

Williams was unable to repeat as the Heisman winner in 2023, but he still put up excellent numbers, throwing for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five picks, and rushing for 142 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Bears were so impressed with Williams' play that they decided to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and trade away another promising quarterback in Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although the Bears had the No. 1 overall pick, they present a much better situation for Williams than teams who pick first normally do.

That is because the pick originally belonged to the Carolina Panthers, who traded it to Chicago in order to move up to No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Bears went 7-10 last season and bring back several talented pieces on both sides of the ball, plus they made some significant additions this offseason.

Along with taking Williams, the Bears used the No. 9 overall pick in the draft at wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Chicago also traded for veteran wideout Keenan Allen and signed running back D'Andre Swift, arguably giving Williams one of the best supporting casts in the league.

Eberflus and football fans will get their first taste of what Williams and the starting offense look like together in Saturday's preseason clash with Buffalo.