Bears’ Caleb Williams on if he’s playing in Hall of Fame Game: ‘I would love to get out there and play’

If No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has his way, he will be playing his first official NFL game on Thursday. The Chicago Bears are facing the Houston Texans in the first preseason game of the season, the Hall of Fame Game, in Canton, Ohio. 

The matchup is set, but the question of whether we will see the first overall pick take an NFL snap against an opponent for the first time is still up in the air. It’s head coach Matt Eberflus’ call and if he asks his starter his opinion, Williams has a clear answer: he wants to be on the field.

“I would love to get out there and play,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome to be at Canton, but it’s coach’s decision.”

Williams emphasized the importance of getting actual game experience and how crucial that is for a young player.

“I always think there’s more pros than cons in anything, especially for a young guy like myself,” Williams said, via NFL.com. “The reps are always paramount for anybody like myself, a young rookie, a second-year guy, a third-year guy, it’s paramount. It’s really important and we’ll see about these preseason games coming, how they will play out.”

The team has said Williams will play during the preseason, but when that will be and how many snaps he will take is not yet known.

Practice is obviously important as rookies make the transition from college to the NFL, but as Williams pointed out, it is not the same as going up against an opposing defense. Coaches and teammates have already noted that Williams has made improvements since first joining the team, but with rookies and all players in general, there is always room to grow. 

Williams has pinpointed some areas he wants to see get better at before he suits up for Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. 

“I would say working on my blitz and coverage looks and feeling the umbrella of the defense and feeling that out to adjust protection; to adjust whether it’s a run, flip the run into it, flip the protection, get to a quick gain, get to a cover-zero check, however the structure of it works out,” he said, when discussing the elements of his game he is working on. “Just progressing, and a lot of that comes with seeing it and reps, and that’s why also preseason, those things are so important.”

We have seen how inexperience can impact young quarterbacks, so there is a strong argument for playing, but we have also seen how quickly an injury can derail a team’s season, so there is risk in putting Williams out there.