LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- In a perfect world, the Bears plan to give rookie quarterback Caleb Williams his first preseason action Saturday when they face the Bills in Buffalo.
Williams and the Bears starters didn't play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game win over the Houston Texans. It was expected they would sit out the Bears' "extra" preseason game. But a start Saturday in Buffalo is likely necessary if the Bears want to get Williams the desired 45-to-55 preseason snaps.
While that's the preferred plan, head coach Matt Eberflus has been clear that offensive line health in front of Williams will dictate the quarterback's playtime.
If Sunday's offensive line situation is any indication, Williams' preseason debut might be in jeopardy if health doesn't improve.
Right tackle Darnell Wright missed his third straight practice Sunday, while left guard Teven Jenkins exited practice after warm-up and did not return. Right guard Nate Davis returned to practice for the first time in a week but went through only individual work before exiting to do more rehab work on the side.
It's unclear if Davis' exit was planned as part of a ramp-up or if he re-aggravated something during individual drills.
With Wright, Davis, and Jenkins all out, the Bears once again tinkered with different offensive line combinations in front of Williams.
Chicago Bears
For most of Sunday's practice, the first offensive line was (from left to right): Braxton Jones, Jerome Carvin, Ryan Bates, Bill Murray, and Matt Pryor. Ja'Tyre Carter also mixed in at left guard.
That line struggled against a first-team defensive front that was without defensive end Montez Sweat and defensive tackle Andrew Billings.
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The Bears tinkered with the line for the two-minute portion of practice, bringing in Coleman Shelton at center and bumping Ryan Bates to right guard.
That didn't help much, as Williams was under constant pressure during the end-of-half drill.
The offense started on its own 30-yard line with 1:10 left, needing to get into field goal range.
On the first play from scrimmage, Gervon Dexter got quick pressure on Williams while being held and notched a sack. On second down, Williams took his eye off the snap and fumbled the ball. The defense recovered it, but the offense was allowed to retain possession for a third-and-23. The Bears elected to hand the ball off to Roschon Johnson and punt to end the drill.
Unhappy with the offense's execution, Eberflus had the first-team re-attempt the drill.
Williams hit DJ Moore for a gain of 10 on first down, but then the drive stalled.
On first-and-10 from around the 40, Dexter again got easy pressure and sacked Williams. The rookie quarterback was upset that he was blown down, believing he evaded the pressure.
With the offense behind the sticks on second-and-13, Williams tried to thread a ball into double coverage to Collin Johnson, but linebacker T.J. Edwards deflected the pass, and Tarvarius Moore nearly intercepted it. Williams' third-down pass to Keenan Allen was wide of the mark to end the drill.
The Bears hope to get Wright back to practice next week as they ramp up for Buffalo, but the status of Jenkins and Davis is unknown, with the game six days away. Add in a still ongoing center competition, and the Bears' murky offensive line situation could force Eberflus to alter his plan for Williams in Buffalo.
Here are more notes from Day 12 of camp:
-- Williams' best throw of the day came when he hit Moore for a deep touchdown in 7-on-7 drills. Moore beat Terell Smith on the play.
-- Tempers flared late in practice when Braxton Jones, Austin Booker, and Khalid Kareem got into a shoving match that saw Kareem end up on the ground.
-- Dexter, Booker, and DeMarcus Walker had good days against the Bears' patchwork offensive line.
This is all part of the Bears' defense's relentless plan to prepare Williams for Week 1.
“He’s just going to keep growing," cornerback Jaylon Johnson said of Williams after practice. "I feel like at the end of the day he knows again how … I feel like he knows the time we have until Week 1, but he’s also having a sense of urgency with it as well. I mean, again, for us, it’s just about making it challenging on him. Allowing him to grow against a good defense, not just grow within the offense and learn the offense, but also feeling that level of competition as well and getting all that at the same time.
"I think for us, that’s part of our job, to try to prepare him whether it’s trash talk, whether it’s giving different looks, whether it’s being in tight windows, tight coverage, whatever it may be, I feel like we’re trying to give him everything that he’s going to see on Sunday and I feel like he’s responded well. Just got to keep going.”
-- The Bears will return to practice on Tuesday, and we'll get an update for Eberflus on the offensive line's health and the plan for Williams in Buffalo.
