Brad Biggs Chicago Tribune
Caleb Williams will wear a ballcap Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson announced Friday the starting quarterback won’t play in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins — and the plan right now is for most of the starters to sit.
Williams and the other starters got extensive work Friday morning in a joint practice with the Dolphins at Halas Hall.
“They’re going to get the bulk of the work today,” Johnson said. “We’ll get a great workload.”
Johnson indicated there could be two starters on each side of the ball who will play, but he didn’t name names. He did say Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and Theo Benedet all will get time at left tackle Sunday.
Tyson Bagent will start at quarterback — no surprise given that he has handled more of the No. 2 work during training camp than veteran Case Keenum.
People are also reading…
Asked why the Bears can’t get work for the starters in both the joint practice and the game, Johnson said the schedule actually calls for them to get more reps over the next few days.
The way the Bears set their schedule, players who don’t play Sunday or play only a little bit will get work in a Monday afternoon practice, while those who log extensive playing time Sunday likely will do very little Monday.
So Williams had a heavy workload Friday in controlled situations, in which Johnson and the coaching staff dictated exact scenarios, and then will get in a regular practice load Monday. The Bears also have a walk-through scheduled for Saturday and a pregame workout Sunday at Soldier Field.
Williams played 20 snaps in Week 1 of the preseason as a rookie last summer, but it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison because the Bears had four exhibitions, having participated in the Hall of Fame Game. He didn’t play in that game.
The Bears will be off Tuesday and then practice Wednesday and Thursday before a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 15 in advance of the Aug. 17 preseason game at Soldier Field.
Although Johnson didn’t detail plans for the Bills game, it’s reasonable to figure he plans to play Williams in that game. Teams typically shy away from using frontline players in the final week of the preseason, when the Bears will visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 22.
“It’s always good to be able to go out there and get a few reps in the preseason,” Williams said Thursday, “rather than your first time getting real live reps … is the first game of September and you’re going against the Vikings. I’ll be out there whenever Ben says and we’ll go out there and play however many plays he tells us to play.”
With most of the starters not expected to play Sunday, there will be action for most of the roster.
“It’s all dress rehearsal for the regular season,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “I think all of us will learn — players, coaches, everybody alike.
“We’ll have to make sure that we’re good on our communication from the booth down to the sideline, whoever that is and whoever we’re having to communicate with. We’ll have to sort out some of the kinks and try to improve for (preseason) Week 2.”
0 Comments
Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!