Bear Digest

What Preseason Debut Can Mean to Bears QB Caleb Williams

In the grand scheme of things, Caleb Williams' pro debut in a preseason game Saturday will likely mean little based on what other top QBs have done in theirs.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams' preseason debut ultimately means nothing but will at least provide a starting point.
Caleb Williams' preseason debut ultimately means nothing but will at least provide a starting point. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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The goal Bears coach Matt Eberflus has for Caleb Williams in his first assignment is pretty simple.

At noon in Buffalo, Williams takes his first steps on an NFL field for a game and the Bears are unlikely to ask a lot of him. It's a good thing because rookie passer debuts in preseason can go any which way.

Ultimately, they mean little.

"He's been getting a lot of good reps with our One defense so I think it will feel similar to him," Eberflus said. "But I really feel that when it's live there in the pocket, to be able to move, maneuver in the pocket, ride the pocket, escape on the outside, B-gaps, all those things, be able to deliver the ball, keep your eyes downfield and really just the operation of it, get in and out of the huddle, no pre-snap penalties. Clean operation."

Clean definitely wouldn't describe the way the Bears offense has looked on many occasion this training camp, which is just past three weeks old already and still has another two weeks to go before they turn attention to preparations for the opener.

If Williams can get out of the game with 50% completions or better and some kind of points on the board, it might be an accomplishment.

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Maybe his goal should be to play poorly in the rookie preseason debut, considering what happened to the last two first-round quarterbacks the Bears drafted. They put up great numbers in their debuts and then struggled when it counted.

There is very little one can gather about the future from how a preseason debut goes.

Here's what the last two Bears first-round picks did in their preseason debuts as well as some other select recent QBs.

Justin Fields

In 2021, Justin Fields made his NFL/Bears debut in the first preseason game but it was in relief and not starting, like Williams will be. Fields came in after Andy Dalton and completed 14 of 20 for 142 yards and a touchdown. He led a drive to a field goal, scored on a run himself and threw for a 30-yard TD pass to Jesse James in a 20-13 win over Miami. A 106.7 passer rating definitely opened eyes for Fields' debut. But he played against all subs by coming in during the second quarter.

Mitchell Trubisky

Like Fields, Trubisky in 2017 faced backups coming out of the gate. In fact, he saw a lot of third-line Broncos defenders because he wasn't replacing Mike Glennon. He was coming in after Mark Sanchez in a 24-17 loss. When he entered the game, Glennon had already thrown a 50-yard pick-6 to Chris Harris on his first drive, gone three-and-out his second, then fumbled away a third-down snap on his third possession to set up a Broncos drive at the Bears 47. Then Sanchez entered and finally Trubisky came in after the two-minute warning. He led a drive to a TD and went 18 of 25 for 166 yards with a TD for a 103.1 passer rating. Glennon, by the way, had left 2-for-8 with an interception and a passer rating of 0.0. Talking about omens.

C.J. Stroud

Stroud actually did what Williams will do and started the game with New England, went 2 of 4 with completions of 5 and 8 yards and then left. He had a 17.7 passer rating for two Texans possessions in a 20-9 win over the Patriots.

Bryce Young

Went 4-for-6 for 21 yards with a long completion of 8 yards and had a 72.2 passer rating. Like Stroud, he faced starters for the first three possessions of the game, then left in a 27-0 loss to the Jets.

Brock Purdy

Playing in relief as an unknown last pick of the draft, he was 3 of 6 for 36 yards with a TD and 108.3 passer rating.

Trevor Lawrence

Went 6 of 9 for 71 yards and a 90.5 passer rating in a 23-13 loss to the Browns. He started and played a couple series.

Kyler Murray

Started and went 6 of 7 for 44 yards with a 92.9 passer rating in a 17-13 win over the Chargers.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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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.