Caleb Williams, Bears Starters Won't Play in Hall of Fame Game

Tyson Bagent, not Caleb Williams, will field the first snap of the 2024 preseason for the Chicago Bears. In fact, no starters will play in the Bears' exhibition opener against the Houston Texans on Thursday.

While the news is certainly disappointing, it's not surprising. Head coach Matt Eberflus has already outlined the organization's preseason plan for Williams, aiming for 45-55 snaps before the start of the regular season. The Bears will manage Williams' workload this offseason, which means holding him out of the Hall of Fame game .

The Hall of Fame game acts as an additional preseason game for the Bears. Instead of the NFL's standard three tune-up contests, Chicago (and the opposing Houston Texans) will play four. The Bears will still have the remaining three games to provide Williams and their other starters a chance to experience game-speed football before the opening kickoff.

In the 2023 Hall of Fame game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets, neither Deshaun Watson nor Aaron Rodgers recorded a snap. Similar to the upcoming game, most starters for both teams were held out of the game.

So while the true meatball fan inside of me would love to see Caleb Williams and the new-look Bears record 50+ offensive snaps on Thursday night, it's probably for the best that Eberflus is taking a conservative approach.

Now, don't be mistaken, starters or not, I'll be watching the Hall of Fame game in its entirety on Thursday. I hope you do too.

Related: Chicago Bears Preseason Schedule 2024: Opponents, Dates, Times, How to Watch

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