LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The next time Caleb Williams takes the field for the Bears, it will count.
Head coach Matt Eberflus announced Tuesday that Williams and the "majority" of the Bears' starters won't play Thursday in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Eberflus said he and the Bears' decision-makers had an "open" plan with how to deploy their rookie quarterback in the preseason, but they believe the 43 snaps they have have seen Williams take is enough for the exhibition slate.
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"Just the process of being able to get into the huddle, make the call, be clean, get to the line, look at the shot clock and say, ‘OK, this is a little bit low,’ and move guys around fast enough to get the snap off," Eberflus said Tuesday at Halas Hall about what he has seen from Williams in the preseason. "Have an awareness and then really do a good job of at line of scrimmage, to be able to adjust to what the defense gives you and make your adjustments from there. I think it’s been clean, and then post-snap, I think he’s been relatively good in terms of going through his progressions, making good decisions, taking care of the football in the pocket with two hands, and moving around there when he does have to do that. But overall, I thought, a good preseason for him."
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The rookie quarterback will have just under three weeks to fine-tune and polish things before the Bears' regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field.
While it has only been 43 preseason snaps, Williams' play has done little to temper the sky-high expectations around his arrival.
But while the on-field exploits have been impressive, it's who Williams is inside Halas Hall that has the Bears' quarterback development plan on track to succeed.
“He’s a great learner," Eberflus said of Williams. "Very smart. He works really hard, but he is also able to work with others. He’s compatible personality-wise, instinct-wise with people, and his willingness to learn. You know how some people, the first time you meet them, it’s like, ‘Man, this guy is a know-it-all all.’ You get that feeling. He is not that way at all."
"He had tremendous success, you know, Heisman, first pick in the draft, very successful as a college player. His willingness to learn is second to none. He just wants to grab the information, learn and get better. When he does have adversity, he rises to the challenge and that’s what you want from your quarterback.”
That quarterback has been as advertised during the preseason.
The next snaps will be for keeps, and the Bears have no doubt that Williams is ready to make his official NFL entrance.