LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — It's time for Caleb Williams to deliver.
The quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick in the draft makes his highly anticipated debut when the Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“I’m excited to see him,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “And I’m excited to lean in and lean on his teammates. Because that’s what you have to do with a quarterback. He’s got guys around him that have played a lot of years.”
The Bears are one of the NFL's “it” teams at the moment. With the former Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California behind center and several other major additions on offense, they were an easy selection to be featured on HBO's “Hard Knocks.”
Williams is widely viewed as a generational talent who could solidify a position that's long been a sore spot for the founding NFL franchise. He will also try to buck a more recent trend among quarterbacks drafted with the No. 1 overall pick. The past 15 were a combined 0-14-1 in first career starts, beginning with Cincinnati's Carson Palmer in 2003.
It's not just Williams' arrival that has the Bears eyeing bigger things after going 10-24 over general manager Ryan Poles' and Eberflus' first two seasons.
They traded for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick to form a potentially dangerous trio of wide receivers with the returning DJ Moore. Throw in a defense that came together following a midseason trade for Montez Sweat, and the Bears have their sights set higher coming off a 7-10 season.
Tennessee's Brian Callahan, meanwhile, will make his head coaching debut. He was hired to boost one of the NFL's worst offenses after spending the past five years as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator. The Titans ranked near the bottom of the NFL in total offense, passing and scoring on the way to a 6-11 record.
The Bears would like to build on the momentum they had late last season, when they won five of seven before closing with a loss at Green Bay. The finish came after an 0-4 start that was part of a 14-game slide dating to 2022.
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons missed the last five games of the 2023 season, which didn’t help former coach Mike Vrabel keep his job. The Titans kept Simmons on the sideline in the preseason. Now Simmons finally gets to chase and tackle quarterbacks alongside rookie tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
“All I’ve been thinking about is how dominant I can be this game? How effective I could be this game? And just how can I help my team win this game?” Simmons said.
Allen insisted he’s fine with being part of an ensemble rather than the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, even in a contract year.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not looking to make $35 million,” he said, laughing.
The 32-year-old Allen made six Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with the Chargers before the Bears acquired him in March. He is in the final year of a four-year extension he signed in 2020 and is questionable for the opener with a heel injury.
The deal for Allen was Chicago's second trade for a top wide receiver in as many years. The Bears acquired Moore from Carolina in 2023. With Odunze and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, Williams should have no shortage of targets.
“It’s going to be balanced, and I think it’s going to be good,” Allen said.
Some might see having three wide receivers who could easily be the top guy on any other team as a challenge. Not Callahan, who’s worked with players in similar situations many times. Now he has five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins with the Titans alongside Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd and Treylon Burks, the fourth guy in line despite being the 18th pick overall in 2022.
“You make sure the primary is on what they’re good at. You move them around the formation. You put them in spots to catch the ball,” Callahan said. “It’s a process, and we work really hard at it. We spend time on where we’re putting guys and what we’re asking them to do. So that part is not new, it’s something that I’ve done for a long time, and I feel pretty confident that we can get guys the ball. And again, I love that.”
Hopkins hurt a knee July 31 and returned to practice this week in a limited fashion. The veteran leads the NFL with 928 receptions for 12,355 yards since being drafted in 2013. He’s also first with 642 catches for first downs and is tied for third with 78 TD catches. Hopkins will be a game-time decision.
Quarterback Will Levis worked enough with the veteran last season and during the offseason that he’s not worried about their timing.
“Just great to have him back and can’t wait to have him,” Levis said.
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