Bear Digest

Why this Represents Biggest Bears Week of Preseason

The third preseason game and practices for it this week could be huge for Caleb Williams as well as the formation of this year's Bears roster.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams' next step is facing the Cincinnati Bengals in practice, and possibly in Saturday's game.
Caleb Williams' next step is facing the Cincinnati Bengals in practice, and possibly in Saturday's game. / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
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The biggest week of the preseason begins Tuesday for many Bears players, if not for the team itself.

For one, the schedule dictates this.

They play a preseason game Saturday, then come back right away on Thursday of the following week for the preseason finale. Then there are 16 days before opening day arrives.

If starters are playing in the noon game Saturday at Soldier Field for an extended period against the Bengals, then it's difficult to believe they would use many of those same players to play on a short work week in preseason at Kansas City. They'll have only two practices before the Chiefs game.

it seems unlikely they'd want to tax them too greatly with extended playing time only five days later with the regular season up next.

There is a problem with all of this.

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No team finishes preseason before the Bears this year, just like no team played a preseason game before they did.

A 16-day break before the regular season follows the preseason finale in Kansas City and offers a chance for injured players to heal up, but also the chance for them to grow a bit stale if they don't play at all or only briefly in the final preseason game.

How the coaches handle this stretch of two games in six days, followed by a long break and then the regular season will test their ingenuity and also understanding of their players' collective situation.

It could all mean a very minor amount of playing time this week in the game against Cincinnati for starters, with a bit more in the final game.

The Bears can get away with this because this week's game is preceded by Thursday afternoon's practice at Halas Hall with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Coaches attach great significance to joint practices.

The player whose time in the game and also in scrimmage at practice Thursday matters most, of course, is QB Caleb Williams.

“It's just about what's best for our team this year," coach Matt Eberflus said. "We're having one practice with Cincinnati and we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

It's almost here, and how they approach it does carry great significance.

"There is some thinking that we have to do there in terms of having that Thursday joint practice going into the Saturday game," Eberflus said.

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.