Matt Eberflus 'certainly' wants to get Caleb Williams NFL preseason game reps

NFL teams tend to rest their star players during preseason games. But what about the top player in the draft? How much do the Bears rest quarterback Caleb Williams?

You want to get him good reps. Yet do you risk injury with the new face of the franchise? Bears coach Matt Eberflus says he has yet to figure out the right mix of reps and rest. He still has some time to figure it out. Chicago and Houston kick off the preseason slate on Aug. 1.

Because of the early preseason game, the Bears started training camp, Thursday. That also introduced an interesting conundrum. How many snaps do you give Williams in training camp? NFL teams also don’t stress their vets in late July and August. Williams isn’t even veteran adjacent, but he is an ultra important player on the roster. The Bears coach said his new quarterback will receive “significant” practice time.

“We talked about that in the spring a little bit, about looking back at what some other guys have done in the past,” Eberflus told reporters on Friday. “And yeah, we certainly want to do that. We’ll take that week-to-week. But there’s value in, really, all the reps when you think about it because he’s going to be going against the [No.] 1 defense. In preseason games, you don’t get all the looks, sometimes, that you would get during practice. 

“So I think there’s equal value to going against the ones every single day and also getting some of those preseason reps as well.” 

The Bears have three other quarterbacks on the roster. Tyson Bagent is still with Chicago. He was an undrafted rookie last season, but started four games in relief of an injured Justin Fields. The Bears also signed veteran Brett Rypien as a free agent. And they picked up undrafted rookie Austin Reed, the former Western Kentucky star.

After the Bears meet the Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game, they’ll meet the Bills (Aug. 10,) the Bengals (Aug. 17), then finish with the Chiefs (Aug. 22).

Those games all represent chances for Williams to better learn the offense during live competition. However, how much do you risk playing Williams against opposing defenses stacked with younger players on the field. Eberflus does have a number in mind.

“We haven’t made any decisions, but certainly want to get him some reps,” Eberflus said. “I know the guys last year got 45 to 55 reps, in terms of those guys. And we’re looking at that right in that range — we’ll see. But, again, it’s always week to week because you have to see what the health of your line is and where everybody is. But, certainly, all those exposures are equally as valuable.”