Bear Digest

Matt Eberflus Pushes Caleb Williams Decision Off Until Thursday

Giving the rookie QB playing time in Buffalo in the second preseason game should seem like a given but the Bears coach is still hedging based on the health of linemen.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams is ready to play but Matt Eberflus needs to see they can protect him properly and will wait to say if it's this week.
Caleb Williams is ready to play but Matt Eberflus needs to see they can protect him properly and will wait to say if it's this week. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Bears coach Matt Eberflus sees conditions better for a Caleb Williams start.

He can't make the announcement yet, however.

Getting tackle Darnell Wright and guard Teven Jenkins back at practice on Tuesday made it more likely they can protect their rookie QB well enough for him to start Saturday at Buffalo.

"Yeah, I think it does," Eberflus said Tuesday after practice. "Again, we got to evaluate where that is later in the week.

"I think we'll have some clarity on that by Thursday. So I'll be back up at the podium at that point, so we should have that clarity there."

Count Eberflus among those who want to see Williams in action.

"Yeah, it's safe to say," he said. "Just being able to have game-like conditions, it's good that way because you get to feel the pressure, and, you know, you can get hit back there, you can get sacked, and you got to be able to feel it like it's a game.

"Of course, we try to do that every single practice, but there's benefit to having those real, live reps for everybody, even the runners."

A key to whether Williams starts might be whether both Wright and Jenkins are able to respond and practice Wednesday without tightness or soreness, following their first practice Tuesday.

Blockers who know what they're doing is the key. Right guard Nate Davis hasn't yet started practicing again in full team scrimmage and they used center candidate Ryan Bates at his position for part of Tuesday's practice.

"You want to have continuity and you want consistency for sure," Eberflus said. "That's what you're getting at and that is for sure the case. We will go as fast as we can to make that decision, but we'll also have our patience and go as slow as we need to to make the right decision.

"I think it's important that you look at it that way. Certainly we want to get it solidified, but sometimes injury plays into that where you get opportunity and position fle- based on that. Everybody is not health all the time. But yeah, for sure we want the consistency to be there as fast as we can."

Davis is the only player on the line who could be facing a job challenge besides the battle at center between Bates and Coleman Shelton.

"If a person's out for an extended period of time and the player that;s in that position is playing very well, at a starter level, and doing a good job there, then you create the competition," Eberflus said. "You say, 'hey, there’s a competition.'

"People say you can't lose a job because of injury. I don't think that's true. I think if the guy that's playing there gives our team a good look and a good benefit for him being in that position, then it's a competition. Or the other guy could take it over. That's not just at guard. That's at all positions."

Eberflus admits the clock is ticking in regards to making a decision to get Williams on the field. Even with an extra preseason game because of the Hall of Fame Game, the Bears have just three games left and often starters see less time in the final preseason game. However, since the advent of the 17-game schedule and one less preseason game, many teams have used the starters in the preseason finale because there are still two weeks until the regular season begins.

There is no real policy Eberflus has on getting his quarterback a specific number of preseason reps, even if he did say he thought 45 to 60 were good numbers. Also to be considered is a practice when Williams will be facing another team when Cincinnati comes to Halas Hall Aug. 15.

"Really it's just about what's best for our team this year," Eberflus said. "I know we are having one practice with Cincinnati and we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's just look at ourselves in terms of this week."

Wide receiver Keenan Allen feels the connection between Williams and wide receivers is better now.

"You know we're growing every day," he said. "We're getting better every day. And like I said, we get more reps every day and then going against preseason reps we'll be able to get them live (Saturday). So we're going to get better, week-in and week-out. We've just got to keep working."

Now it's a matter of getting everyone to work on the field and in a game.

Twitter: Bears On SI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.