USC Football: Caleb Williams Pro Debut Date Revealed

When will Williams start?

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Former USC football quarterback Caleb Williams is set to officially make his NFL debut on Saturday in a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears will see his first preseason action Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday, per Brad Biggs.

Matt Eberflus says #Bears QB Caleb Williams will start Saturday afternoon at Buffalo. “We want to see a good flow and rhythm to it” but he won’t detail a general play count. Starters that are available are playing.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 8, 2024

Williams will make the start on Saturday after previously not starting during the Hall of Fame game between the Bears and Houston Texans. Eberflus did not state how long they plan to play Williams during his debut, but the league will get their first glimpse of Williams in the NFL.

Along with Williams, Eberflus said that the rest of the Bears' starters available will play, meaning that Williams will get the chance to potentially throw to top targets Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze if they are available on game day. The Bears are expected to run a vanilla offense.

Williams emerged as the top quarterback prospect in this year's draft after two seasons with USC and one year at Oklahoma. Known for his arm talent, low turnover rate, and ability to make something happen when the play breaks down, he became the clear No. 1 quarterback following the 2022 season with USC, when he went on to win the Heisman Trophy.

During the 2022 season, Williams completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He led college football in passing touchdowns, and finished third in passing yards, and led USC to an 11-3 record. Along with winning the Heisman, Williams was named the AP College Football Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American, and won the Walter Camp award as the best player in college football.

In 2023, Williams had another strong year, completing 68.3 percent of his passes or 3,333 yards, 30 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The Trojans were unable to match the success they had the season before though. After a 6-0 start, USC began to falter along the offensive line and defense. Williams was heavily under pressure and the defense was one of the worst in college football, causing the Trojans to win one of their last six games with Williams at quarterback.

Even with a junior year that did not live up to his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Williams remained the consensus No. 1 pick. Now, he will be expected to turn around the Bears organization that has been searching for their true franchise quarterback for decades.